May I?
by Br33zy
Summary: It sometimes takes more to just love someone. You have to prove it, too.
1. The Dream

**May I?**

**Genre: **Romance/Humor/Action

**Last Revision: **11/09/08

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Pokemon and if I did, Pikachu would be long gone by now. Haha, just kiddin'! Heh.

**A/N**: Uh, this plot will be mostly in the Mauville/Veranturf spots, and let's just say that Brendan and May got most of their badges so they are taking a break. A really long break.

* * *

**The Dream**

What is love? Is it someone that you have a great affection for? That person that gives you that funny feeling in the pit of your stomach? Someone that makes you feel all woozy if they touch you by accident? The score in tennis if you have zero points? It is true that "love" is all of those things. We can all define it, but does that mean we know what it's like to be loved? Or to be in love?

_The autumn sky illuminated her angelic-like face, giving her a glow that no one but her could muster. Her deep sapphire eyes twinkled in the sunlight, the wind gently playing with her shoulder length chestnut hair. The soft, gentle, rustling of leaves gave her the feeling of calmness, serenity. Her hand was entwined with his as she gave it a little squeeze. Their faces came closer and closer together ..._

"Oh ... damn! Why do I always wake up at the good parts?" A boy Pokémon trainer, known as Brendan Birch, cussed to himself as he sat up in his sleeping bag, running a hand through his snowy-white hair. Trying not to wake up his other traveling companion a few feet away, the young fifteen year-old trainer pushed himself out of his sleeping bag, his rear meeting the cold, damp grass.

Breathing in the fresh air, the boy's crimson-red eyes met the true blue of the sky as cirrus clouds slowly passed by, the golden rays of the sun turning them a soft shade of yellow though the sound of snickers and murmurs disturbed this peaceful picture. Brendan turned his head, finding a group of Pokémon huddled together as if in heated discussion.

"Man, he woke up!" he heard one state sadly in its native tongue. "And it was getting juicy too ..."

"Why does Brendan wake up at the good parts?" another one whined in Pokémon tongue. "His dreams are like cliffhangers! They just keep on continuing and continuing and- oh! Hey Brendan! Heh ..." The creature laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head.

"Muddy ..." Brendan snapped his head toward the Pokémon as he warned his Swampert, a smug smile tugging at his lips. "What did I tell you about looking at my dreams?"

"Uh, not to?" the creature that spoke last, now known as Muddy, answered, forcing a fake smile onto his face. He shifted uncomfortably upon the gray boulder which he sat upon, lacing his cerulean-blue paws together. His light orange whiskers which were centered perfectly on each side of his face quivered a bit as he watched his trainer tug on his black and red tee shirt through his bright orange eyes.

"And?" The boy popped his head out of his t-shirt, watching the Swampert through curious eyes.

"Not to ever?"

"Yeah, but you did anyway. Hmm. How can I trust you now?" Brendan asked with annoyance but had a hint of playfulness in it too.

"See, it wasn't _my_ fault exactly ..." Muddy tried to explain himself. "It was ... er ... it was ... Flare! The chicken did it!" Muddy pointed an accusing paw at Flare, a chicken at least over six feet with red, orange, and toasty tan feathers with bottom feathers that flared out like bell bottoms.

Flare froze in her place for a second, her scarlet eyes filled with nervousness. She dug one of her talons in the soft dirt. "Nuh uh! It was Skittles' idea!" She glanced at the Calm Pokemon, an innocent smile plastered on her face.

Skittles, a Delcatty, shook her head. Her chocolate-brown eyes were filled with amusement as she licked her dark-orange and maroon fur. "It would have been my idea if Sirius over here hasn't suggested it first!" She smiled smugly at the hyena Pokémon for the two were known for their "rivalry," though everyone knew that they were pretty keen on each other.

"What? It wasn't me!" Sirius, a smug and proud Mightyena, barked in protest. He shivered and shook himself at the mere thought, his ebony and gray fur waving back and forth with each movement. "It was Silver! He's the guilty one! I knew he was always ... buggy." He glared at the cicada through his crimson-red eyes.

"No, really? You think?" Silver answered back sarcastically. He rapidly beat his ash-white wings repeatedly before landing on the head of Flare. His beady dark-red eyes darted back and forth, staring at each Pokémon for a quick second. He clinked his stormy-gray claws together in annoyance. "It's not me Brendan! I'm the most trustworthy Pokémon on your team and you know it! Well maybe besides Cy. But still! Would I ever betray you?"

"Uh, duh?" Muddy replied.

"Thunderbolt over there started it! He the perpetrator!" Silver hissed.

Thunderbolt, a Mantetric, glanced up from his lying down position, a bored look in his scarlet eyes. He rested his tawny head upon his saffron and azure paws. "Why would I be interested in an old fart like Brendan?" he commented cooly.

"Hey!" Brendan's Pokémon, except Cy shouted angrily.

"What? It's true, you idiots. Admit it," Thunderbolt concluded. "And by the way, it's Sapphire's fault. She's the one who actually thought of it last night before we went to sleep-"

"Uh, no I didn't!" Sapphire cried, her amber beacon which swung back and forth in front of her head, crackling with sparks of bright blue electricity. Water dripped off of her sleek, rubber-like, cerulean skin as she rose from the depths of the crystal-clear lake. "I had nothing to do with this! It was Banana!" she stated, mouthing an apology afterward.

"Ah ha! It is Sapphire! She mouthed a sorry!" Thunderbolt exclaimed.

"It's not her fault," Banana, a Tropius, stated, her head hovering over the Tai's and Cherry's heads. A pair of fruit (mainly Nanabs) hung around her neck, its sweet aroma drifting in the air. "It was those two over here. They convinced Cy to read your dream."

Tai, a flirty little Swellow with navy-blue and red feathers preened back and Cherry, an agile and graceful Beautifly with wings decorated in an array of bright and vibrant colors, looked at each other. "It was ... him!" the two shouted at the same time as they flew over to the lake and hovered over it until a massive shape began to emerge from the lake's water.

"Fine! It was me!" a Gyarados, also known as Hydro, stated. He narrowed his eyes at the rest of the Pokémon in disgust as water dripped off his cobalt scales. "And I would have gotten away from it too if it weren't for you meddling Pokémon!"

"Uh, jinkies!" Sapphire stated, diving under water to avoid the gigantic wave Hydro created when he went above surface.

"Zoinks," Flare groaned as the wave hit the Pokémon on the land. "Just ... zoinks."

"Oops, sorry," Hydro apologized.

"Cy," Brendan stated as he took off his bandana and wrung the water out of it. "Why did you do what Hydro said? You usually don't listen to the other Pokémon very often as you id state that your intelligence might turn them for the worse or whatever."

The mysterious Cy, a Kadabra, only shrugged in return. "I was bored and your dreams make very good soap operas," he remarked cooly as he spun his telekinetic spoons through his hands. "We can turn it into a television show and call it Brendan, the boy with no brain!"

"Gee, I'm glad you find my life very entertaining to watch for your pleasure," Brendan replied sarcastically, putting his somewhat soggy bandana back on top of his head and tying it down.

"No problem!" Muddy replied, a smile on his face. "Were you being sarcastic?"

"He may hvae evolved and gotten smarter, but his old Marshstomp self is still in there." Flare sighed and slapped her forehead with her sharp claws. "Now we just gotta figured out where it is and get rid of it."

"Figure out where and get rid of what?" someone asked from behind them in a soft voice that traveled with the wind.

"Hi May!" Cherry greeted her trainer warmly as she fluttered off the tree branch she was resting upon to land on her trainer's head. "We were just talking about yo-"

Muddy's eyes widened at the Beautifly's sentence. "Yoga!" Muddy finished for Cherry. "Yoga, very ... uh ... relaxing. Did you know there's an 'O' in 'yoga?' I, for one, sure didn't."

"That doesn't surprise me," Flare remarked, grinning cheerfully at the glare the Swamp Pokémon gave her.

"I'm sure there is." May smiled, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She ran her left hand through her short, chestnut brown hair as she straightened the wrinkles out of her t-shirt with the other. "Hey Brendan, we're suppose to go to Wally's before nine remember?" she brought up.

"Yeah, yeah, I remember all right," Brendan grumbled, frowning at the sound of his long time rival's name. "Wally," he spat out with disgust. "Ugh, I can't believe I just said his name!"

"Did we somehow force you to say his name or something?" Muddy questioned curiously.

"No, but-"

"Ah, do not comment on my intelligence, my trainer, for you might only hurt yourself doing so."

"Back at ya!"

"Are you guys ready to go?" May interrupted Brendan and Muddy's quarrel. "It's already seven."

"But it's only a fifteen minute walk to Wally's!" Brendan whined. "And I don't want to see him when I don't have to yet! That wanna-be trainer! He gets his like tidey-whiteys in a knot when I beat him in a battle! What's the score now? Oh yeah, ten to zip! Who rocks?"

"Not you apparently since I'm the one that won all those battles," Muddy muttered to himself.

"Well, he does have rocks for brains!" Sirius pointed out jokingly.

"And he is hard-headed if you catch my drift," Silver remarked, playing along with Sirius.

"... Some Pokémon team I have."

- - -

The sun peaked over the rolling hills of Verandturf Town, its rays touching the tops of houses as Brendan and May entered the small town, one skipping in the ankle-deep crab grass while the other trudged through it, his head hung low and his back hunched over.

In the quiet neighborhood of Pine Crest Drive sat a boy, his feet swung over the wooden planks of his porch. He was staring up at the clouds, his emerald-green eyes sparkling from the golden light of the sun.

Immediately as both boy and girl trainer entered the town, May squealed and ran toward the boy. "Wally!" she cried out happily to the green-haired trainer, dressed in a button up white tee and khaki jeans. She bounded up the porch steps and hugged the boy in a tight grip as if she were trying to smother him in love. The boy didn't seem to mind though; in fact, from behind May's back, he grinned evilly at Brendan.

Brendan reached Wally's home and scuffed the ground, glaring ice cold daggers back at the green-haired trainer and scatching his head with his middle finger in Wally's direction.

"So May," the green-haired boy began, letting go of May reluctantly, "oh, and 'Brandon.'" Wally "accidentally" said Brendan's name wrong. "How are the badges coming along? I've already got my fifth badge-"

"Ha! We're already on our seventh! Beat that 'Walter!'" Brendan also "accidentally" mistook Wally's name as he taunted him. "Guess we know who the better trainer is, huh May?"

May looked questioningly at Brendan. "Well maybe-"

"Of course I'm the better trainer, right May?" Wally asked, putting on his puppy eyes.

"No, aren't I, May?" Brendan too put on his puppy eyes.

"Um ..." May looked at the boy trainers and sighed. "I'm out of here!" She quickly ran into Wally's house, slamming the wooden door behind her.

Brendan and Wally blinked for a minute before starting at it again.

"Look what you did, Birch! You made May run away! I was this close too!"

"_You_ were close? Ha! In your dreams Wanna-be!"

"Can't you think of any better comebacks?"

"I can!"

"Then try!"

"Well ... uh ... You're stupid!"

"You're an idiot!"

"At least I'm not a ... stupid person!"

"Yeah, well you're a japanese word for stupid!"

"At least I'm not ... stupid."

- - -

May sighed to herself, cuddling in her makeshift bed on the floor. Wally and Brendan were fast asleep, shifting and snoring in their own sleeping bags. Reaching for her bag, she took out a small, red and white book. She nibbled on the rubber eraser on her pencil, opened the book and took out a flashlight, shining its light toward her diary. She thought for a minute before scribbling down furiously:

_Dear Diary,_

_Well, here I am at Wally's. Brendan and Wally were at it again. I wonder why. What's wrong with them? Is there a chip programmed in their brains so whenever they see one another, they go insane? I don't know, but I'm completely clueless as you are!_

May turned off her flashlight and shoved her diary back into her bag. She smiled as she saw the two trainers sleep peacefully - the only time when they're not at each other's throats. She closed her eyes and fell into a deep slumber herself.

* * *

Ok, g2g now c ya... please R/R... will get better I promise! later dayz!


	2. The Upcoming Fair

Muddy: Oh joy, I'm a Swampert! Fun fun! Not!

What's wrong with Swamperts?

Muddy: Well they're-

If you treasured your life, I suggest you don't say anything!

Muddy: Shutting up now!

Good.

**Disclaimer**: Don't own it. Joy.

* * *

**The Upcoming Fair**

_The sun peaked over the rolling green hills of Veranturf town as the boy slipped his hand into her's, a comforting and relaxing smile on his face. She planted a very chaste kiss on his cheek, yet the boy felt like it was special, unique, just for him. The girl smiled warmly, her hair being teased by the northwestern zephyrs, giving her the scent of sweet grass to go with her smell of jasmine. A lingering smirk was held in the young girl's eye as she pushed the boy over and then ..._

"May! Look at this!" Brendan shouted excitedly, shaking the poor girl out of her slumber. It was seven in the morning, and we all know how much most girls love their beauty sleep. Combine that with May's somewhat angry mood every now and then and what do you get?

"_Brendan Birch_! If you ever wake me up at seven in the morning ever again with no important reason whatsoever, I swear I'll sick Flare on you and make her use Sky Uppercut to send you to planet Kafloogah! Got that?!"

"You heard the lady, Birch! Shut up!" Wally agreed from his makeshift bed on the couch, throwing his extra pillow at Brendan's head. "Normal people are trying to sleep here!"

"Then why are you still asleep?" Brendan asked curiously, throwing Wally's pillow over his shoulder. "Normal people don't have green hair you know?"

"Not many people have white hair either, Brendan," May replied, blinking back sleep from her sapphire eyes.

"Hey, we all live in a Pokémon World." Brendan shrugged, sweeping a hand through his tousled hair. "Isn't that a song for one of the seasons of the Pokémon anime?"

"Pokémon ... I wanna be the greatest master of them all," Wally snorted, turning the other way, cuddling with another pillow on the couch.

Silence overwhelmed the randomness that Wally brought upon the room. Brendan and May stared at each other, one combing a hand through her tangled hair, the other staring at the ceiling, twiddling his thumbs.

"The greatest master!" Wally finished, jolting Brendan and May out of their thoughts.

"Freak," Brendan murmured.

After a few more minutes of restless silence, Brendan and May found it safe to relax, knowing that Wally wouldn't randomly shout out another verse to the song.

"Put my challenges to the test to be better than all the rest!"

Brendan and May look at each other again, too freaked out to speak or to wake Wally up.

"So you want to be the master of Pokémon?"

"Um, Brendan? He's scaring me," May whimpered finally.

"Do you have the skills to be number- Hey! What are you doing, Brandon!" Wally awoke to find the white-haired trainer trying to muffle his face with a dark-blue cotton pillow.

"The name's Brendan, okay?" he remarked, annoyed. "You were singing the theme to the Pokémon television show! Do you know how annoying that is?"

"Was it the one where Tracey was in it and Brock wasn't?"

"Yep."

"Then I see how it was annoying."

"Now that were all up, why don't you tell us what you wanted to show me now, B Boy?" May remarked as she stretched out her legs. "You know, now that I'm up thanks to you." A mischievous glint passed through May's eyes.

"Haha, yeah." Brendan smiled nervously, moving away from May to avoid getting pummeled into the ground. "You know, I rather not say right now."

"Tell me," she growled.

"Nah, it's okay but um ... thank you?"

"Tell me."

"You know, I'm not really in the mood at the moment, heh."

"Tell me!"

"Aw, do I have to?"

"_Tell me now_!" Outraged, May jumped on the boy trainer's back, causing Brendan to topple over onto his stomach. May pressed down on the back of his head.

"Watch the nose, watch the nose!" he yelled, muffled by the wooden floorboards. "I kind of need that to breathe- okay, push even harder and further down, that's nice."

"Look what I have to do just to get some answers out of this boy's mouth!" May sat on Brendan's back, trying to bore a hole in the ground using his face. Finally, satisfied with her results, the now content girl trainer got off of Brendan's back. An apologetic smile crept onto her face. "I am _sooooooo _sorry ..."

"What?" Brendan sat up and stared at Wally and May, puzzled.

- - -

Brendan stayed silent and kept rubbing his ruby-red nose in a frustrating manner, giving May dark glances every now and then. The three trainers were just outside of Mauville, ready to train their Pokémon and to visit some of their friends.

"Hey, look at things this way! At least it wasn't your you-know-what!" Wally laughed, clutching his stomach. "I thought you were Santa because of your white hair! Now you're Ruldolph! Ruldolph the red-nosed reindeer had a very shiny nose! And if you ever saw it, you can even say it glows! All of the other reindeer used to laugh and call him names-"

"Hey! There's a bunch of howling Mankeys outside!" a random person yelled from outside of his window in Mauville.

Wally frowned and bit his lip while May rubbed the back of her beck in embarrassment. Brendan on the other hand ...

"Haha, howling Mankeys! Sounds like a rock band! Named after Wally, the worst singer in the world!"

May only shook her head as the three trainers continued their way down the sidewalk path. "Hey, what's this?" May ripped down a blue sheet on the Mauville bulletin board. "Attention all Pokémon Trainers, Researchers, Coordinators, and other fields of Pokémon! The annual, year-round, Pokémon Fair will be held in Mauville this year! Food, fun, and ... another word that starts with F."

"Catchy," Brendan murmured, starting to rub his nose again.

"Fantastic, freaky, furnish?" Wally suggested.

"That has nothing to do with the sentence but moving on." May began to read again. "It starts on the second week of October and ends until the beginning of the third week."

"You know, they could make things less complicated by saying October fifth to October twelfth," Brendan pointed out.

"Or better yet the fifth to the twelfth!" Wally proposed.

"Yeah, um." May shrugged and read the rest of the ad. "So be there and be-"

"Dead?" Brendan remarked cheerfully.

"Square?" Wally answered dully.

"Gone?"

"Stupid?"

"Be there and be happy," May answered for them. "Latias, how lame. Anyway, the last night of the fair will be formal, for food, for fun, and for something else that starts with a F. Who knows what will happen. What does it mean by that?"

Wally and Brendan began to smirk uncontrollably as plans began to form in their heads.

* * *


	3. The Date with Brendan

Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon. Another anime I have yet to capture (sighs).

I never cleared up that May is actually ten in the series. Well here, she's older. :P Prolly around fourteen or fifteen, because eleven year old romance make me feel odd.

On another neat note, this chapter has so many scene changes. I wrote in fun parenthesis what characters are involved in them just in case, but meh. I was a weird writer back then, but I refuse to edit or cut down the scenes.

* * *

**The Date with Brendan**

_The sun beat down on the boy and girl, beads of sweat forming onto his and her forehead. The hot wind blew against the boy's cheek as he looked at the love of his life gently graze the wooden floor of the porch with her thumb. She was staring into the nothingness, watching people come and people go. He frowned for a moment, reaching out for his water bottle to parch his throat, but there was no need, for as soon as the boy lifted the water to his lips, a small jet of water came rushing at him. He heard the girl giggle playfully, using her own water bottle to squirt the young boy trainer's head. He laughed at this and squirted the girl too, running away. The world became his and his girl's own place to play in. The girl jumped onto the boy's back as he spun her around, not noticing the dark, looming, gray clouds above them. All they knew was that they were dancing in the rain ..._

"Heads!" Wally cried out as Brendan flipped a coin. "Heads, heads, heads. No whammies, no whammies!"

"Please no chanting the name of your coin side," Brendan complained, catching the coin with his right hand and flipping it over with his left. "This isn't Wheel of Fortune, you know."

"Oh, fine, just tell me what the coin says."

"Impatient aren't we? Nervous that you might lose?"

"No, confident that I might win."

"Ha! It's tails! Loser!" Brendan cried out triumphantly, staring at the flipped coin with joy. He danced in place. "Guess I get the first fair date with May!"

"You cheated!" Wally whined, looking at the up-faced tail coin in Brendan's palm with agony. "I don't know how, but I'm going to find out!" And with that Wally stomped off, defeated, disappointed, dreadful, and another word that starts with a D.

"Thank RegiIce that I got this two-tailed coin!" Brendan cackled evilly, flipping the coin back up and down.

"Evil, aren't we?" someone asked from behind him.

Brendan looked down but then had to look up. "Oh. It's only you, Flare."

"One and only," Flare replied, bending her knees a bit so she could look eye to eye with the boy trainer. "I see you're taking out May, my trainer. Am I right?"

"Uh, yeah. But thanks for asking. Now I really got to go and get read-"

"Oh, no, no, no, no. I think we need a little one-on-one chat. A chicken to fifteen year-old boy, don't you think?"

"Oh ... kay?"

"Brendan. Brendan, Brendan, Brendan, Brendan, Brendan-"

"Do you have to repeat every little thing that you say?"

"No, but you don't own me."

"Fair enough. I don't. What do you want to talk to me about?"

"I'll make this short. You hurt May, you die. You embarrass her, you die. You lose her, you die. And if you ever become her boyfriend, date her, and dump her for some other more attractive girl than May - which I think is quite impossible - you die, get reincarnated, crash and burn, and then die again. Got it?"

Brendan gulped and nodded. "Crystal."

"Good," Flare chirped, ruffling her feathers and smiling. "You two have fun! The others and I will be keeping an eye on you." She swiftly turned around and ran out the door, leaving behind a small trail of loose, yellow feathers.

"Maybe Wally should have gone first," Brendan muttered, gulping.

- - -

Time flew by as the sky's peaceful light blue color faded into its dark, mysterious form. The half crescent moon shone high above the spectators heads, reminding them of the fun they were going to have or at least of a toe nail clipping. Stars twinkled brightly in the sky, occasionally winking as if they knew a secret the absent-minded gazer didn't.

"How come Wally didn't want to come to the first day of the fair?" May asked Brendan as they passed several booths of food and other neat words that start with F.

"He has other plans. Son and aunt plans," Brendan covered up pathetically. "So, he had to ... go to ... where his ... aunt took him. Yeah!"

"Uh, right, B boy." May eyed the white-haired trainer suspiciously before moving past it. "So I left my Pokemon at Wally's house, so if we get attacked by Team Magma again, I'm depending on you."

"Don't worry. I know your Pokemon are here," Brendan said absent-minded.

"What's that?"

"Uh, I mean don't worry! I know my Pokemon are here with me and they can protect you from harm. I'll be your knight-in-shining-armor!"

"Thanks!" May laughed as she linked arms with Brendan. "Let's go on a ride!"

- - -

_(Meanwhile with Wally)_

"Who knows what can happen tonight!" Wally rung his hands in a nervous manner as he paced the wooden boards of his house anxiously. "May could fall in love with that Birch boy, and I'll never have my chance!"

"Calm down, Wally," Wally's first Pokemon, Kirlia, told him. She waved her thin, white arms in the air, her big, red eyes flashing in the golden light of Wally's kitchen lamp. "Breathe in. Breathe out."

"I know, I know, but I can't help it!" Wally began to walk the length of his kitchen back and forth more frantically. "Brendan and May have known each other ever since they began their adventures! I only see May every now and then on my journey! They know more than I do!"

A blue puff of Pokemon floated next to Kirlia's green form, shivering her fluffy white wings. "Kirlia, he's scaring me," the Swablu said, one of Wally's new Pokemon. She whimpered. "Is he always like this?"

"When it comes to May, yeah," Wally's Delcatty murmured, almost matching May's Delcatty's physical features to the point except for some golden speckles across her thick fur.

Wally's eye twitched. "I can still hear you, you know!"

Kirlia, Delcatty, and Swablu froze, but began to watch Wally's nervous act with amusement again.

- - -

_(With Flare and May's other Pokemon at the fair...)_

Snug in between a cotton candy booth (the sweet scene of sugary sensation wafting through the air proved to be an ample distraction) and a booth selling multi-colored t-shirts with the Hoenn logo on it was Flare and a bunch of May's Pokemon, huddle together like they were trying to keep warm. Little did the odd spectator that noticed them know that they were actually scheming.

The Blaziken laced her claws together, the small breeze ruffling her feathers. "Okay, team, we got a mission on our hands," Flare said to the other five Pokemon of May's. "May is out on a 'date' with B boy, and we're going to make sure he doesn't hurt her!"

The Delcatty closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, breathing in the sweet deliciousness of cotton candy. "Uh, why?" Skittles finally asked, snapping out of her daze "We've known Brendan and May for awhile now, and I think we can trust them to be out on their own."

The Swellow next to her shook his head, ruffling his red and blue feathers. "We can trust May, but Brendan?" Tai shuddered. "Who knows about him."

The Beautifly next to Swellow rested her tiny legs on a cold metal bar, the dazzling lights of the fair making her already colorful wings more vibrant. "You guys are getting paranoid," Cherry murmured, fluttering her wings open and close slowly. "Brendan's not like that. We've have been traveling with him for awhile, and if he were 'like that,' we would have already known."

"Still," Tai argued, glaring at Cherry.

The five Pokemon began to argue until Flare shot out a flamethrower, the flames blending in with the flashing red and yellow of the fair's lights. "Chill it! Whether you like it or not, we have to look out for May either way. Team Magma is out there and May is Pokemon-less! You know how much they want to kidnap Brendan and May!"

May's Gyarados looked sheepishly at the rest of the team, looking awfully uncomfortable in the already snug alleyway. "Fine, we'll look at for May, even though Brendan is there too," Hydro sighed, looking to the side. "But how am I suppose to look for May if I can barely squeeze in here?"

"You can fly, Hydro," Flare pointed out.

"Oh yeah, because that doesn't look suspicious! I'll just cover up a quarter of the sky!"

"Okay, fine. You have a point, but can't you just act - you know - like a blimp or something?" Hydro glared at this while Flare raised her claws up in front of her innocently. " Fair enough. Cherry and I will be a group. Skittles, you go with Thunderbolt, and Tai can keep an eye over the entire fair by flying. And you keep an eye out too, Hydro. Watch and see if Brendan and May come back this way and try not to get Wally to go to the fair. We don't need another problem on our paws, claws, and wings. Anyway." Flare bent down and picked up some scraps of paper believed to be random litter. "I've drawn a map of Mauville this afternoon and made copies."

"I've got a question, Flare," Tai murmured, taking a map in his talon as Flare passed them around.

"Okay, what is it?"

"When did we learn how to draw?"

- - -

_(Back with Brendan and May...)_

"...Yeah, and so she pretty much shoved the entire piece of cotton candy down my throat!" Brendan explained, smiling at May's soft laughter. Her delicate giggle rang through his eyes like the soft chime of a bell. "It like gagged me - it's not that funny!"

"Yes it is!" May giggled, clutching onto her own stick of pink, spun sugar.

Brendan laughed as well. "Seriously though. It felt like I was swallowing a Surskit's web whole!" he exclaimed. "But she moved from Littleroot, so I have nothing to worry about anymore."

"Do I make a better neighbor?" May asked curiously, a warm smile etched on her face.

"Of course." Brendan flashed his own white, pearly smile back as the two began to walk in silence.

"Hey Brendan?"

"Yeah May?"

"I've got a question."

"Okay, shoot."

May hesitated, twirling a strand of her brown hair around her finger nervously. She finally spoke though. "Have you ever liked someone before but thought they would never like you back?"

Brendan looked up toward the night sky thoughtfully. "Yeah, actually. One time I liked this girl. She was pretty much perfect - in my opinion anyway. She was smart, funny, nice, hot - yeah you get the picture. We were good friends - kind of like us; best friends you can say. We were both obsessed with Pokemon and dreamed about being the greatest Pokemon Champion, standing up at the podium, raising that trophy high above our heads, enjoying the audience scream and cheer for us. I soon got the biggest crush on her. I believe that she liked me back too. Until this other boy came."

"Another boy?"

"Yeah. The girl seem to have this thing for the other guy. So I ... gave up I guess." Brendan shrugged, taking a piece off of May's cotton candy and eating it, licking his fingers soon after.

May gasped in surprise. "No way! Out of all the things we've been through, out of all the impossible predicaments, you never, ever gave up! But you gave up on this?"

"Yeah. I'm ashamed of it too, even to this day."

"But what should I do? I like this boy, but he doesn't seem to like me back."

"Well, I'm not really good with advice but I would say never give up. This boy might think the same way too, and I think you might regret not knowing if you don't figure it out. I mean, I still do with that one girl."

"Thanks Brendan." May smiled and hugged Brendan.

Brendan happily returned it but thoughts began to run through his head. _'Who's this boy?_'

- - -

_(With Skittles and Thunderbolt)_

Skittles mewed at the happy sight in front of her. "Aw, what a cute moment!" she said quietly as she and Thunderbolt hid behind some bushes. She smiled at Brendan and May, "Don't they look so cute together, Thunderbolt?"

The Manectric looked at the Delcatty wearily and disgustedly. "I've never seen a more disgusting thing in my life!" Thunderbolt gagged. "I don't see how you all goo-goo-ga-ga over this 'love' thing, Skittles."

"Oh, come on T.B!" Skittles nudged T.B. with her paw. "I know underneath that tough skin of yours there's a real softie! So why don't you let the real you out and see romance blossom right before your eyes!"

"I've been hurt by someone before and I really don't need you to get on my back right now, okay?" Thunderbolt sighed as he laid down, burying his head between his paws. "Let's just get this night over with so we can go home."

The Delcatty frowned, sitting down next to the Manectric, her tail flicking back and forth. "You're not dealing with an idiot cat like Muddy over here," Skittles replied, pointing her nose in the air. "I'm smarter than that."

"Did I ever say you were stupid?"

"Well, no."

"So leave me alone."

Skittles huffed, frustrated. "T.B., what did happen before May captured you anyway?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because I'm like the only one that can actually talk to you with out getting my head bitten off."

"It's your stupid cute charm that hold me back from attacking you."

"No, it's not! My cute charm works on most male Pokemon, but that doesn't mean that it works all the time! Wait a minute …"

Thunderbolt quickly sat up, looking directly at the smug Skittles. "If you're thinking that I like you, then you're clearly mistaken!" he said sharply, alert. "The day I like you is when Groudon and Kyrogue have another clash again!"

Skittles continued to smirk at Thunderbolt. "Uh huh."

"I don't you, Skittles."

"Okay, I see you're getting all fidgety, Thunderbolt, so I'll leave it at that. For now."

Thunderbolt gave Skittles a final glare before burying his head between his paws again, leaving the Skittles the wonder in both a confused and proud state.

- - -

_(With Flare and Cherry)_

Cherry fluttered her wings as she rested on the arm of the Blaziken. "Who's the boy May likes, Flare?" she asked curiously. "She never told us she liked anyone."

"I don't know. I'm assuming either Brendan or Wally," Flare replied, putting Cherry on top of a nearby picket fence. "Ugh, for once in my life, I'm not tall enough to actually see over something. Is anything going on?"

"Tough cookies there, Flare-" Cherry spotted a boy Dustox flying over some trainer's head. "Why, hello."

"Cherry!" Flare groaned, slapping herself on the forehead. She stood on her tippy toes to peek over the fence. With her eyes widening, she quickly grabbed Cherry by a wing and pulled her below the fence. "Brendan and May are right in front of us! Did they see you?"

"Calm down, Flare. There is more than one Beautifly in the world." Cherry complained, wiggling out of Flare's grasp and shaking her wing.

"Whatever." Flare peeked over the fence was grateful to see the backs of Brendan and May. She turned conversation back toward the Beautifly. "And what happen to Silver anyway?"

"Oh, that old fly..."

"Cherry!"

"What? He's so stupid sometimes! It would put Muddy to shame!"

"That dumb?"

Flare and Cherry began to watch Brendan and May again when the swoosh of wings caught Cherry's attention.

"Flare?" Cherry murmured as she turned around and saw what was in front of her, her blue eyes widening.

"What? I'm busy."

"But Flare!"

"*What did I say, Cherry?"

"_Flare!_"

"What?!" Flare gave up in frustration and turned to face Cherry.

"You have company," Cherry pointed to a Charizard who was dreamily staring at Flare. He waved his huge, orange wings toward the Blaziken, blowing a huge gust toward Cherry and Flare. The flame on the tip of his tail was a bright orange-yellow.

"Uh ... hi?"

- - -

_(With Brendan and May again...)_

May linked arms with Brendan again as they began to walk around the city of Mauville, ignoring the stares that trainers gave them.

"Look! It's those trainers that beat Team Magma before! I hear that they're still trying to track them down!" a random ten year old trainer cried out as Brendan and May passed, pointing toward them excitedly while jumping up and down.

"Who cares about that? Gabby and T.Y. said they were the next big thing!" another trainer next to her argued. "I hope we get to travel together and then we fall in love just like them!"

Brendan and May blushed at this comment but still continued to walk.

"Ew, me and you in _love_? You have a sick mind!"

"Nuh uh!"

"Uh huh!"

May and Brendan chuckled at the young trainers remark, thinking of their rising reputations.

"Aw, look Brendan, it's a Ferris wheel!" May broke the silence, pointing toward the huge wheel with blinking, bright lights. "Let's go on it!"

- - -

_(Now back to Wally...)_

"… So it's impossible that they can't fall in love in one single night, right Magnemite?" Wally asked nervously, his fingers fidgetting, sweat rolling down his forehead.

"Well, uh. Why don't you ask Roselia?" Magnemite muttered, rolling his single eye to the eye while electricity crackled against its steel body.

"Roselia!" the green-haired trainer cried, hunting down his Pokemon.

"It's going to be a long night," Kirlia murmured, shaking her head and crossing her arms.

- - -

_(Back with Brendan and May...)_

"Don't you just love the sights you can see when you're up here?" May sighed happily as she look around at the winking lights below her. Their car stopped at the top of the wheel. "It gives you this magical feeling in the pit of your stomach like anything can happen. It's really beautiful."

"It is, isn't it?" Brendan stared at May, aware that the two were talking about two different things. _She really is beautiful_, he thought in his head as he crept up closer to her.

"Yeah." May finally turned her head toward the white-haired trainer, and her eyes widened for a moment when she saw Brendan lean in toward her ...

- - -

_(Finally, a new character, Tai...)_

"Skies are clear tonight and love is everywhere," Tai reported to himself, the cool night air whisking through his feathers. He spiraled gracefully in the air before regaining stability. "How ... boring."

"Hi Tai," a bunch of Wingulls who have known the infamous Tai from his battles against Gabby and T.Y. giggled as they flew past him.

"Ladies," Tai stated back, nodding his head, making the Wingulls giggle even more. His attention arose when Tai spotted a female Swellow. "Why, hello …"

"Hello, stranger." The girl Swellow smiled and winked at him as she flew.

"Hello to you too," Tai replied back, chuckling, flying with his head behind him to see the Swellow fly behind him. He would have continued flying if he hadn't crashed into something hard …

- - -

_(Brendan and May...)_

Just as their lips were centimeters apart, a loud thunk from behind their car swung them back and forth. Brendan and May quickly sat back up, blushing crimson, staring straight ahead...

- - -

_(Now with Skittles and Thunderbolt)_

Skittles cringed as she watched Tai fly into the back of the Brendan and May's Ferris wheel cart. "Aw, Tai crashed right into Brendan's and May's car just about when they were going to kiss," Skittles remarked, watching Tai fall to the ground. "How sad. Yet funny."

"What did I tell you, Skittles? I'm not interested," Thunderbolt replied, rolling onto his back and yawning.

"You never did tell me what happen between you and that other Pokemon, T.B.," Skittles reminded.

"Oh Latios. What did I do to you to make me live with this Pokemon?"

"Oh, I know you like living with me!"

"Whatever."

- - -

_(And the end of the night with Brendan and May)_

Crickets chirped in the thick, tall grass that surrounded the sleepy town of Verdanturf town, the brisk night air ripping through the two trainers' clothing. May hugged a stuffed animal she won at the fair closely to her chest as Brendan stood on the porch of Wally's house, his fists jammed inside the pockets of his pants.

"Well I had fun." May smiled at Brendan as they stood at the doorway of Wally's house.

"Yeah, me too." Brendan smiled back, thoughts racing in his head. _I only wish I got to kiss her on top of the Ferris wheel ... Things would have been perfect ... like her._

May looked nervous, fiddling with the stuffed animal's ear. "Well, um ... Good night!" And with that May gave Brendan a kiss on the lips before running into the house, her cheeks flushed.

Brendan blinked and touched his lips softly, a slight tingle on them. _Now things are perfect._

_

* * *

_This chapter is longer right? I thought it was good lol... and another thing.... u can vote for your couple Brendan/May or Wally/May either in an email or review..... I prefer email though because ppl will know who the winning couple is but u can put it in an review if your lazy....

11.10.08 note: Yeah... I'm that lazy to not edit my author note from when I wrote this. Kekeke.

LaTeR dAyZ!


	4. Bachelor Number Two

Hey! It's my birthday today!

Muddy: Uh huh.

Muddy! (goes and hugs Muddy)

Muddy: o.O Ladies and gentlemen, Breezy has finally lost it.

Thunderbolt: (walks in) Leave me alone, Skittles. I don't like you, so stop bugging me about it!

Skittles: (behind him) C'mon! Admit it!

Flare: Skittles, why are you bugging T.B. about it anyway? Do you like him or something?

Skittles: Well, uh-

Thunderbolt: Haha! The tables have turned, Skittles. Answer the question.

Skittles: Um...

Thunderbolt: What's the matter, Skittles? Cat got you tongue?

Skittles: I might like you.

Muddy: Ew love! I can't believe it! Love is everywhere! I should have stayed at the Hoenn set.

Flare: You're just mad because no one likes you and vise versa.

Muddy: Well there is Mudirta.

All Pokemon: Oooh, Mudirta.

Thunderbolt: o.O You like me?

Skittles: Um.

Moving on-

Flare: No it's getting interesting finally!

Shut up.

Sirius: I'm going to sit...

Good to know...

Sirius: I know! And I get to throw a ball ... with my mouth!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Pokemon-

Muddy: 'Cept us that is. (grumbles)

I swear, you guys are going to frickin hate this chapter cuz it's a Wally/May moment- (dodges rocks) Rocks? Anyhoo, just read it/ I think you might find it quite interesting.

* * *

**Bachelor Number Two**

_The boy stumbled around in the dark, groping for the switch to the lamp. He heard quiet sobs coming from the other half of the room. His heart was in the grasp of fear. He tripped over his two left feet but fortunately found the lamp. With a small click, the light flickered on, giving the boy minimal comfort. He turned around and saw his girl crying softly on the floor, tears running down her rosy cheeks. He looked worried as he crossed the room, having no clue why the girl was crying. Silently, he kneeled down to the girl's position, took one of her hands, and wiped a single tear away. The boy never knew why she cried in the middle of the night, but he was glad he was the one that made them stop ..._

"Seeing as you got to go to the fair with May last night, I get to go with her today, right?" Wally asked, taking a sip out of his soda can.

"Mm, huh? Oh yeah, go ahead," Brendan mumbled back, half aware of what Wally said. Brendan was too occupied in his thoughts about last night. The Ferris wheel, the games, the oh so pleasant kiss ...

Wally smirked, unaware of Brendan and May's escapades. "What happened last night, Brandon? You seem pre-occupied with your thoughts today. Let me guess. You confessed about you liking May, and May turned you down?"

Brendan awoke, startled. "What? No! I didn't confess."

"Then I won't give up hope."

Brendan rolled his eyes and shrugged as he walked out the door, probably to replay last night's image over and over again in his head.

Wally frowned slightly and crushed the soda can in his hand, promptly throwing it away in the trash can. A slight cough from behind him caught his attention.

_It's probably that Blaziken of May's_, Wally thought. _I saw her talk to Birch yesterday, warning him or something.._. He turned around and saw a very angry Swampert leaning over to come into Wally's line of eye sight. More startled than scared, Wally scratched his head, wondering what Brendan's Swampert was doing here.

"Wally," Muddy spat out in disgust after shuddering. "You're going out on a date with May tonight huh?"

"Uh, yeah ..." Wally said a little bit meekly. "And you're asking me this because?"

Muddy growled and glared straight into Wally's eyes, despite the awkward height difference. "Let me tell you this. Brendan and May are meant to be with each other, and you are nothing more than an annoying, little gnat that just seems to keep ... annoying them," he stated coldly. "Get that through your egotistic, arrogant, hard-headed little head of yours!"

Wally enlarged his newly evolved Gardevoir's Pokeball to protect himself. "I can do anything I want to, Muddy! Just because you think May and Birch are meant to be, doesn't mean everyone else does!"

Muddy huffed, crossing his arms and scowling. "Beware Wallace ... and be ready to meet your fate." With a fast, swift motion, he turned around and walked out the door in large, angry stomps.

Wally gulped and replaced Gardevoir's Pokeball back in his belt loop.

- - -

Later that night, Wally and May stood at the entrance of the fair, one sheepishly fiddling his thumbs and the other busily scanning the crowds for a certain white-haired boy. Glittering, multi-colored lights cast the buildings of Mauville in a spectacular splash of colors while the taunting smells of popcorn and sugary sweets blew through the crisp night air.

"Where's Brendan?" May asked worriedly, glancing through the booths and stands. "He said he was going to he going to be here tonight but ... I don't see him at all!"

"I'm sure he's fine," Wally assured her, patting her on the back while mentally wincing about May caring more for Brendan than himself. "He's a big boy now. I'm pretty sure he can take care of himself."

"I hope he didn't get taken by Team Magma," May shuddered at the thought, hugging herself.

The green-haired boy shrugged. "Team Magma hasn't been in the Mauville area ever since they stole the Submarine from Capt. Stern," Wally replied, casting sympathetic glances at May. "But let's try to have some fun even if Brendan isn't here. That's what he would have wanted." He smirked at his excuse, but May didn't notice luckily.

"I guess, "May admitted. "You're right! Brendan shouldn't ruin my night!"

- - -

Alas, with Brendan's date with May going smoothly, Flare and the rest of her team still had a lot of work to do. Not only did they have to make sure Wally didn't hurt May, that had to make sure Muddy and his group of morons didn't hurt Wally. Granted, they themselves were not too fond of Wally either, but that did not mean that they had to hurt him. This time, the group huddled outside the fair grounds along the path that connected Verdanturf to Mauville.

"Flare," Cherry whined, resting in the branch of a giant oak tree, her antennas blowing in the wind. "Do we have to be here every night May is going out with one of the boys?"

Flare groaned at the butterfly's complaining. "Yes, Cherry. We _have _to like I said last night. We're making sure May doesn't get hurt, and we're looking out for Team Magma as well."

Tai cocked his head to the side, confused. "Do you guys find it weird that May doesn't take us in her Pokeballs when she knows that Team Magma is after her?" he asked.

The other Pokemon looked at each other, muttering in the same confusion.

"Whatever," Flare murmured, crossing her arms, shivering at the cold wind that blew. "Same teams, people, except for you, Tai. You're with me and Cherry is taking sky patrol."

"Why?!" Tai yelled a little too loudly. "I was doing a good job too!"

"Until you crashed into the Ferris wheel car that held May and Brendan," Skittles pointed out.

"Bah, Skittles! Don't complicated things with technicalities!"

"Can I stay with Hydro? Or Brendan?" Thunderbolt sighed, looking up at Flare from his sitting position. "These romantic things bore me to death."

"Hey, I would trade places with you if I could," Hydro argued. "Be a good sport."

"No arguing, please," Flare complained, glancing at Mauville with her keen bird eyes while rubbing her temples with her claws. She raised an eyebrow as she saw an onslaught of Pokemon heading toward the fair. "Oh no. What are they doing here?"

- - -

Meanwhile, as Flare and her team were figuring out how to protect May without her seeing them, Muddy and his team were busy figuring out how to ruin May's date with Wally. They hid behind a game booth, the loud clashing sound of a baseball hitting the bottles occasionally scaring the Pokemon.

Sirius sat happily next to Muddy, his tongue hanging in between a gap of his pointy, white teeth. He shook a little, ruffling his black and gray fur. "What's the plan tonight?" he asked, his red and yellow eyes shining in the fair light. "I hope it's eating, sleeping and sitting. I like sitting."

"Oh ... kay," Sapphire, held tightly in the clutches of Cy, the Kadabra, looked at Sirius weirdly, her beacon flashing a few times.

"Nope, not tonight," Muddy answered, his tone very hard and serious. "We have a mission tonight!"

Silver sighed, his wings beating rapidly. "What are we?" he asked, a smile creeping onto his face. "Spies? Spy the fly? I'm flying and spying! I'm-"

"Enough with the spy analogies!" Cy moaned, carefully levitating Sapphire down to the ground with his spoon, his eyes glowing an eerie purple. He remained composure, the telekinetic power that surrounding his body dying down. "I have dealt with your idiotic demeanor ever since I was a youthful, minuscule Abra, and I, for one, don't want to heed it at the moment, my fellow fly friend."

"Righty. Moving on," Muddy said, eyeing Silver and Cy, still just getting used to the actual fact that he had to use his brain tonight. "Wally, that smelly piece of trash, is out on a date with May, and we all know Brendan and May belong together, right?"

"Right," the other Pokemon agreed in unison.

"And we're not going to let Wally get to May's heart, right?" Muddy began pumping his team up, throwing his fist up into the air.

"Right!"

"So let's get out there and stop this madness!"

"Yeah!"

The four Pokemon began to march into the city, leaving Sapphire, who obviously couldn't walk with someone carrying her and Cy, crossing his arms and shaking his head, behind.

Frustrated, Cy finally called out, "Oh Muddy! I think you have forgotten something."

Muddy turned around, making the rest of his team turn around too. "Really?" the Swampert asked, scratching his head. "And that would be?"

"Your 'remarkable' ex cogitate!"

"...What?"

"Your 'brilliant' devise!"

"...Pardon?"

"Your 'genius' plan, you dolt!"

"Oh yeah."

- - -

Flare sighed, turning her head to face her team. "Change of plans," she stated, looking back at Muddy and his crew with a scowl on her face.

The other Pokemon groaned.

"Hey, shut up!" Flare shouted. "This is May's sake, all right? Look out for Muddy and his team as well. Make sure they don't do anything stupid."

"So pretty do what we do everyday when we're traveling," Skittles mewed, yawing. "I think it's time for a cat nap."

"No time," Flare chirped back. "Remember May anyone?"

"I think someone is getting obsessed," Hydro thought out loud.

"Really?" Thunderbolt piped up. "I was thinking more about the lines of psycho."

"Shut up!" Flare bellowed angrily. "I have no time for this foolish foolishness!"

"Well that made a lot of sense," Cherry commented, giggling.

Flare stomped off, smoking steaming out of her ears, giving the other Pokemon more fits of laughter.

- - -

"Ah, thanks, Wally!" May grinned as Wally handed her a stuff Torchic doll that he won. She hugged it to her chest. "I'll treasure it forever!"

Wally blushed a very bright crimson. "Uh, thank you- uh, I mean you're welcome! You're welcome ... Thank you? Er."

May giggled, fiddling with the feathers on top of the doll. "Right, Wally."

Wally looked down nervously at the ground, his fingers lacing in and out of each other. "Hey ... uh ... Do you want to go on a ... er ... a uh-"

"Ride?" May finished for him.

"Yeah! That's it! A ride!"

"Um, sure. What kind of ride?"

"Well, how about the ... er ..."

May sighed in frustration, watching the stuttering Wally in both sympathy, amusement, and confusion. _This is going to be a longggg night_, she thought in her head.

- - -

"So your _plan-_" Cy rolled his eyes at this, "-is to make sure that Wally and May_ don't_ fall in love. Am I correct?"

The Swampert rubbed the back of his head at how simplistic is sounded. "Yeah, pretty much," Muddy answered. "We have to watch their every waking move today. We have to spy on them and make sure Brendan gets what he wants. He wants-"

"Okay, we got the point there, Mud Boy," Silver interrupted him. "We're not as stupid as you."

"Hey! I'm not that stupid anymore!" argued Muddy, frowning.

"Only the stupid say they're not stupid," muttered Silver back.

"And only the dead say someone is stupid when they're not stupid."

"That comeback was just plain stupid!"

"In your dreams!"

Silver blinked. "... What the heck? That didn't make sense either!"

"That's because you're stupid and don't get it!" Muddy said triumphantly, smiling in pride.

"_Silence you foolish mortals!_" Sirius's dark side took over for a few seconds, his eyes glowing a dark red until he snapped back into reality at the sight of a baseball. "Ooh, look! A baseball!" Sirius spotted a baseball from a game booth on the table and took it in his mouth.

"Dumb dog," Silver muttered.

"_What did you call me?!_" Sirius's eyes turned the same dark shade of red as he glowered at the quivering Ninjask.

"Nothing," Ninjask whimpered in fear.

"Good!" Sirius began to toss the ball up and down in the air, catching it with his mouth happily. "Well, this is fun! I dare say it's better than sitting!"

"I'm sure," Cy murmured. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is what the feeble mind does when it is bored."

Muddy spotted Wally and May walking by their hiding place. "Sirius, make good use of yourself and throw that ball at Wally's head really, really hard."

"But I'm playing with this ball!" Sirius whined, catching it in his mouth once more.

"Just do it!"

"Latios," Sirius grumbled. "Fine, I'll do it." Sirius wound up his mouth and threw the ball as hard as he could ...

- - -

"So, what ride do you want to go on?" Wally asked, fidgeting with his fingers.

May thought for a second. "Well I guess we could go on the-" May was cut off when a baseball hit her hard in the back of the head. "Ow!" she cried, rubbing the back of her head, turning around to see where the ball came from.

Wally turned around angrily. "Who the heck threw that ball?!" he bellowed, frightening several small children. "Okay, that's fine. Don't talk, but remember this ... I will find you, and when I do, you better run!"

Some people took his threat very seriously while the others who somewhat knew Wally, grasped the tables of nearby booths for support, tears of laughter springing into their eyes.

Wally gave them a final glare, giving some people more fits of laughter. His eyes turned soft when he faced May again. "Are you okay, May?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." May held back her tears. "Really, I am."

Wally didn't believe her for a second. He took out his water bottle and squirted it onto the place where May got hit. "Better?" Wally mentally slapped himself. _Great_, he thought in his head. _She is now hurt and wet. You're such a genuis, Wally._

"Sort of." May started rubbing her head again, a tear rolling down her cheek. "Whoever threw that has a good arm."

- - -

"She means a good mouth," Sirius stated proudly, puffing his chest out.

"You idiot!" Muddy yelled. "You hit the wrong person!"

"Oops?" Sirius said meekly.

"Oops?" Muddy asked, bewildered. "Oops?! That's all you can say?! Oops?!"

"Y-yes?" Sirius stuttered, backing away from the Swampert.

"Rayquaza, whatever.*" Muddy shrugged it off. He looked past Sirius, his eyes widening. "Now I think we should run."

"Why?" Silver asked in puzzlement.

"Because here comes May's Pokemon."

- - -

"I think a soda can help clear up that headache." Wally and May stopped in front of a vending machine, May still clutching onto her head.

"If you say so," May replied, looking confused.

- - -

"Hurry, Cy!" Muddy cried. "Don't let the soda come out of the machine! Use your telekinetic powers!"

"Geez, bossy," Alakazam murmured. He followed directions though and didn't let the soda fall from the machine.

- - -

"Damn machine!" Wally cussed. He began to kick it. "Why. Won't. The. Stupid. Soda. Come. Out?"

"Wally, calm down," May replied, worried about Wally. "I don't need a soda for my head."

"But-"

May turned around and noticed Brendan walking toward her. She smiled brightly. "Brendan? Where were you all night?"

Brendan shrugged his shoulders. "Places," he replied simply. "Wallace, what the heck are you doing?" He spotted Wally kicking the vending machine. "Just because 'nothing' is happening doesn't mean you have to take on things that don't actually live."

"I'm. Trying. To. Get. A. Damn. Soda. Out. Of. The. Machine. But. Something. Is. Holding. It. Back!" Wally exclaimed, kicking the machine with all his might.

"Erm, why?" Brendan asked.

"Because May got hit in the head with a baseball and she needs something cold to put on her head."

Brendan shrugged again. "Hey, whatever floats your boat. Anyway, I have to go, so see you two later." He walked past May. "Oh yeah." He kissed the exact spot where May got hit. "Hope you feel better May. Bye!" He walked off into the crowded streets.

May smiled happily. "Bye Brendan! Bye!"

Wally's smile faltered. "Now why didn't I think that?"

* * *

W00.... like the weird twist? It wasn't even a twist, more like a good ending for most of ya folks haha....

Right..... n e wayz... I got unbanned as you know haha.... well duh, I updated both stories last Saturday... I'll update the other one soon! Later days!

Is that everyone? Hope it is lol..... well I'm done thank gawd.... LaTeR dAyZ!!

**11.10.08 Note**: I forgot I got banned. Lols. Good times ...


	5. Parents

Sirius: Hi!

Muddy: Eh, whatever.

Flare: Well you're eccentric aren't ya, Mud butt?

Muddy: What's with you and your addiction to saying butt?

Flare: Shut up.

Sirius: Don't you mean shut butt? Bad dum tssh.

Flare: Grr.

Sirius: Apples and bananas.

Skittles: Bananas are good.

Muddy: Well thank you for that ever so interesting conversation. (rolls eyes)

Flare: Yeah, but I'll think we'll be taking our star spots now-

Skittles: What do you mean YOUR star spots! We're all equals here!

Sirius: Tell 'em like it is, you ... cat ... thing.

Flare: Well duh! We're the main Pokemon characters, and your just little alternate co-star Pokemon in both stories.

Skittles: You're not the star Pokemon. You just get more lines!

Sirius: And more rare candies.

Skittles: And more time with Brendan and May.

Sirius: And everything.

Muddy: Told ya!

* * *

**Parents **

_His eyes darted back and forth, searching, hunting for the one he sought out. He raised an eyebrow, confused by the predicament he was in. It was like he was in a world filled with nothingness. A crackle of leaves and a small gust of wind from behind him caught his attention. He turned around swiftly, but no one was there. Frustrated, he kicked a nearby rock, his eyebrows scrunching up. Yet another sound was heard but this time something pounced on him, covering his eyes. He stumbled around a bit, trying to get the pair of hands off. The hands felt soft and smooth; he recognized those hands. He groaned inwardly as he got the familiar hands off of his face. The girl's eyes has a mischievous sparkle in them as they met his own orbs. He laughed out a bit and carried the girl back to town on his back. All of this just for a piggyback ride..._

"That's not fair!" Wally exploded, cursing incoherent words every now and then. "You cheated! You went to the fair and made May fall in love with you even more! And furthermore..."

Brendan watched Wally half amused, drowning out Wally's whiny voice with his mp3 player. He turned the volume up. _ Thank Groudon I got these at the fair last night_, he thought, smirking. _Then again._.. He turned off his mp3 player to listen to Wally's yammering.

"... You loser! You just had to stoop down so low by coming on _my night_ to get to May, huh? Huh?! And what's the deal about..."

_Blah, same old crap_, Brendan thought, turning on his mp3 player once again. _He ceases to amaze me with his stupidity, but there's something in that little body of his that makes me hate him even more-_

Wally spotted the wires coming from Brendan's head and saw the mp3 player hidden behind his backpack on his lap. Annoyed, he reached out and grabbed the wires, pulling the headphones out of Brendan's ears.

"Hey! I liked that last song!" Brendan complained, rubbing his ears.

"You weren't listening to me!" Wally screeched.

Brendan rolled his eyes. "If I wanted to here animals grunting like they were in heat, I would go to the petting zoo."

Wally growled and glared ice cold daggers at Brendan and marched out the door, causing a fit of laughter out of Brendan.

"I knew you were psycho." Muddy came out of his Pokeball out of his own will and sat on the floor next to Brendan. "Ever since I was a Mudkip."

"Ah, the good old days," Brendan thought out loud. "Brings back so many memories."

_(FLASHBACK)_

A five year old Brendan Birch ran as fast as his little legs could carry him, a yellow egg decorated with blue polka dots carried in his tiny hands. He pushed open the doors of the lab in Littleroot with one of his legs and ran to Professor Birch, also known as his dad.

"Daddy!" Brendan screamed as Professor Birch kneeled down to his son's height. "Daddy, I put the egg on the floor when I was weaching for a cookie on the table and I put it on the floor gwently, honest! But then the egg began to cwack and I screamed woudly! And mommy went upstwairs to cwean wup so she wasn't there! And now-"

"Calm down, Brendan," the Professor chuckled as he gently took the egg from Brendan's grip. "It's all right. Your egg is just hatching."

"H-hatching?" Brendan replied curiously, standing on his tippy toes. "Is twat a word for bweaking?"

The professor chortled again. "No, son. When a baby Pokemon is ready to come out, it breaks through the tough shell of an egg. That's why it looks like the egg is broken."

"Oh!" Brendan said, amazed.

The Professor set the egg on the table. "Here. Come watch the miracle of life." He picked up Brendan and set him eye level with the egg. Minutes later, a small, blue thing appeared in the mass of broken egg and sticky goo.

"Daddy! It's a Mwudkwip!" Brendan shouted excitedly.

"Shh. Yeah, it's a Mudkip," Professor Birch answered as they continued to watch the baby Mudkip struggle to break free from the egg.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, son?"

"Where do babies come from?"

_(End Flashback)_

"...And then that Mudkip evolved and had another Mudkip who evolved who then had you." Brendan was in a trance-like state. "Good times, good times."

"Hey!" Muddy waved an impatient paw in front of Brendan's face, causing him to fall back in his chair. "Yeah, while you were in la la land, you've got some visitors outside." He paused, pressing his paw against his chin. "Let me rephrase that. Mommy and daddy dearest are here."

"What?!" Brendan shot out of his chair like a rocket. "Is this a trick because it's not funny!"

"What's wrong with mama and old pops?" Muddy laughed. "I just cracked myself up!"

"Don't call them that!" Brendan growled, racing over to the window and peeking behind the curtains. "Latias, why are they here?" Brendan looked alarmed, staring anxiously at his parents. "I wish they were gone!" He paused for a minute. "Dammit! This just proves I don't have fairy god parents!"

Four more jets of red or white light appeared besides Muddy, forming into Pokemon who were curiously looking at their trainer with wide eyes.

"What?" Brendan exclaimed. "My parents are here!"

"So?" Sirius asked.

"My parents are here!"

"I believe we heard you the first time, buddy boy," Muddy replied. "Besides, what's wrong with having Mrs. Birch and Professor Birch here? It's not like May's parents are here or something."

"No! They're going to ask me all these dumb questions - probably in front of May - because that's how my life goes! And then knowing how my life goes-"

"Dude, stop repeating thing," Sirius interrupted.

"-I'll be all flabbergasted-"

"You make yourself sound like a grandpa," Muddy observed. "Then again you have the hair of one."

"-And talk all retarded, and May will think I'm a idiot-"

"I think she already thinks you're an idiot," Sapphire stated.

"-And then I'll never be with her!" Brendan ran out of breath and panted. "Do you see why I don't want my parents here right now?"

"No, but we'll just play along." Muddy grinned his goody grin. "Time to meet the in-laws, folks. Wait, I should say that when May's parents are here. Whatever."

Brendan gulped nervously and headed out the door. "Well, here it goes."

- - -

"Aw, May. You're growing into such a lovely young lady," Mrs. Birch cooed, smiling while holding May's hands. "How's the training and traveling going? I hear that you two stopped a plan of Team Magma! Great job!"

"Thanks, Mrs. Birch!" May smiled back. "But I couldn't have come this far without Brendan behind me-"

"Don't you mean in front?" Brendan asked stubbornly, crossing his arms as he stood in Wally's doorway a few feet away.

"Whatever, B Boy."

"Brendan!" Mrs. Birch cried out joyfully, running over Wally's wooden porch and hugging her son to death. "You have grown so much!" She squeezed even tighter. "Soon my baby boy will be all grown up and be married and have kids of his own."

"Mom!" Brendan complained, squirming out of his mom's death hug. "Not here!"

"Aw, what's wrong, sweetie?" Mrs. Birch asked. "You rarely call me any more, so I don't know how you are or where you are! Do you remember to take a shower and to change your you-know-what's?"

May giggled. "Don't worry, Mrs. Birch. I'll make sure he does now!"

Brendan blushed out of embarrassment. "Mom!" he groaned again, trying to cover his blush by lowering his head. _How embarrassing_, he thought. _And May laughed at it! My life as we know it is over!_

"Brendan!" Brendan heard another recognizable voice call out toward him.

"Oh no," Brendan moaned.

"Good to see you, son!" Professor Birch came and gave a noogie to Brendan, holding him in a choke hold. "How are your Pokemon doing, you two? Let me see them!" The Professor awaited eagerly to see Brendan's regular team. "Your other Pokemon are doing fine at the lab and so are yours, May."

"That's good," May replied back, getting out her Pokeballs. "Time to come out you guys!"

"Muddy, Sirius, everyone! Time to come meet ... my parents!" Brendan yelled inside of Wally's house hesitatingly. "But, you know, if your busy, you don't have to come out!"

"Brendan," May murmured, hitting Brendan on the arm playfully.

Muddy and the rest of Brendan's team came out of Wally's house, trying to squeeze through the doorframe at the same time.

"Your tail is in my way, Muddy!" Cy shouted, trying to kick Muddy out the door.

"Hey! I'm not a doggie door!" Sirius yelled as he saw Silver fly under him.

"Someone help me!" Sapphire cried. "I can't move on my own out of water!"

Brendan slapped his head. "Latios, help me."

Muddy spotted the two trainers and the two adults staring at them. "Erm, hi?"

The four people just blinked as the Pokemon came out of the door one by one, May's Pokemon trying to contain their laughter.

"Brendan, they're staring at us like we're freaks!" Muddy whispered. "They're scaring me."

"Try not to move and maybe they'll stop staring," Brendan whispered back as he watched Banana use her Vine Whip to retrieve Sapphire from inside the house.

It was the Professor who broke the ice. "Interesting," he thought out loud. "Very interesting. Not many trainers are able to decipher what their Pokemon are saying not unless they are really close. Why haven't you told me before, Brendan?"

Brendan shrugged. "I thought everyone could understand what their Pokemon were saying. I was able to understand Muddy here when I first got him, but then again I did play with him before he was actually mine."

"May, were you able to understand Torchic when you first got her?" Professor Birch asked, looking at Flare with curiously.

May thought for a minute. "Um, yeah I guess. I can't really remember the first time Flare spoke to me. All I remember is that I beat Brendan."

"Ugh. You're still on that?" Brendan exclaimed, causing a few giggles and chuckles all around. "That was such a long time ago, May."

"Hey, a girl never forgets."

"I thought an elephant never forgets."

"Whatever."

"That the best you got, May-ple?"

"Don't call me that, Bread Head!"

"My head does not look like bread!"

"I didn't mean it like that!"

"Then what do you mean then?"

Professor Birch, Mrs. Birch and all the Pokemon sighed in unison, staring at the bickering trainers with amusement.

"Oy! Lovebirds! You forgot that we are here?" Muddy called out in between the arguing. "Or are you two so caught up in each other's eyes because we can go." The other Pokemon laughed at Muddy's comment leaving two blushing trainers and two confused adults.

"Brendan, what did your Swampert say?" Mrs. Birch asked.

"Must have been funny," Professor Birch examined.

Brendan blushed for a few seconds. "Actually, I don't know what he said. I guess we're not as close as you thought." He glared at Muddy who just smiled innocently in return.

May smiled at Brendan and Muddy's reactions but it soon died down soon. Her eyes peered into the distance, down the path to Mauville. Brendan could tell something was troubling her.

"May, what's up?" he asked worriedly.

May snapped out of her thought. "What? Oh, nothing, nothing. Everything's fine!" She forced a fake grin onto her face to calm down Brendan. "Now if you will excuse me ..." She went past Brendan before stopping mid-track. "How rude of me. Good-bye Mrs. Birch, Professor Birch. I'll be back by three, Bread Head-"

"Stop calling me that!"

She laughed. "I'll be down in Mauville if you need me," she told them. "C'mon, Flare."

Flare followed May down the path way, leaving behind puzzled Pokemon and people.

"What's wrong with May?" Mrs. Birch asked concernedly. "She looked troubled."

Brendan shrugged and shook his head. "I'm not sure, Mom, but I know something is up."

Professor Birch frowned a bit but smiled a bit to lighten the mood. "So son. When are you going to marry Miss May?"

"Dad!"

- - -

"Where are we going, May" Flare asked as they walked down the path down to Mauville. "And why didn't you bring the others with you? What-"

"Shh," May told Flare. "I saw someone down here. He looked suspicious."

"Suspicious as in 'I'm going to get you' or suspicious as in 'surprise party?'" Flare asked, still following May's tracks.

"I don't know. What's the difference? They're both suspicious," May answered, her eyes darting back and forth for any sign of movement, "No one's here."

"Yeah, there's a fine line between suspicious and paranoid," Flare murmured. "Then again-"

A voice nearby interrupted her. "I've been looking for you, May."

* * *

Whoa, how did this story go from fairy-tale happy fair dates to secret spy sort of scenario? (shrugs) It's ok. I'm confused too. :P

I'm tired, Muddy, and I smell! I don't wanna do reviews!

Muddy: So why are you complaining to me then?

I dunno.

Muddy: You know, you haven't done reviews for anything?

Shaddup.

Muddy: You know I'm right. For once. Go me!

Flare: Breezy says she sorry that this isn't a light-hearted chapter. So review and tell her to make the secret character a suspicious bad guy or a suspicious good guy. Like anyone reads the things after the chapter, huh?

True.

LaTeR dAyZ!!


	6. Kidnapped

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Pokemon, k?

Muddy: But she does own things. But still!

I still don't own this. (sigh)

Flare:vBut that's a good thing otherwise Pikachu would have died a loooong time ago. Well for me anyway.

o.O Okay then.

* * *

**Kidnapped **

_He held on to his head. That menacing, insane laughter throbbed throughout it. He fell on this knees. It felt like his eyes turned blood-shot red. That haunting, high-keyed voice, shattering his very soul; his body. He trembled and but his lip; he didn't know why he felt this way. A cool, soft hand touched his forehead ever so delicately. He looked up and peered into dark blue orbs of happiness, worry, hope, and fear. The girl smiled weakly, reaching out for his hand to comfort him and herself as well. He heard nothing else but the gentle exhales coming from his beloved. He felt nothing else but the warmth in his hand. He saw nothing else but her eyes, the windows of her soul..._

May gasped as the man took hold of her arm. "Hey! Let go of me!" she screamed, trying to kick the man.

Flare fired up her claws in bright fire, ready to attack the stranger, but the strange man let out two Slakings and one Vigoroth in defense, "Dammit!" Flare cried as she used used a fiery punch against one of the Slaking but it was to no effect. She then tried to jump over them but the hyper-active Vigoroth held her by the leg. "Hang on, May, I'm coming!" she yelled angrily, sweeping her leg down on the Vigoroth.

May tried to pull the man out of the shadows but to no avail; he was just too heavy. His face was covered with a black ski mask anyway. She next tried to scream but the man used his other hand to cover her mouth. "Fware!" May screamed, muffled by the man's hand as he began to drag her away. "Get Bwendan, get Wally, get _someone_!" She managed to ger her mouth out of the man's grasp to say the last word. The strange man dragged her into Mauville - to a place unknown.

"May!" Flare screeched as she saw her trainer being taken away. "Get back here!" she bellowed as she tried to get past the Slakings and Vigoroth but failed. "Get out my way, you old farts!"

"Old farts!" the Vigoroth yelled, ready to use a tackle the Blaziken in the stomach but was held back by one of the Slakings. "Hey! I'm not the one that was suppose to be kidnapped!"

"Quiet, Vigoroth! N.M. said to not attack anyone! All we needed to do was just keep them from getting to him," the other Slaking hissed. "And besides, you're giving away our mission."

Flare gasped, her eyes raging with cold fury. "What are you going to do with May?" she demanded, her four claws charging up with blue and white flames. "Trust me, blue and white flames _do_ leave a mark." She smirked. "Want to try it?"

A high-pitched whistle got caught in all four Pokemon's ears.

"I loved to but sorry, hot stuff. We have to go now!" the Vigoroth laughed maniacally, back flipping.

"And what are we going to do to May ..." one of the Slakings trailed off.

"...Is for us to know and for her to find out!" The other Slaking laughed evilly as smoke began to cover them from head to foot.

"Hey!" Flare ran into the middle of the smoke but no one was there. "Latios," she said to herself. "I let them get away."

- - -

May struggled against the man's grasp but he was too strong for her. "Lwet mwe gwo!"

"Quiet, you!" the man tried to sound harsh but couldn't. He dragged her into a psychic tent in the midst of Mauville's fair. "I'm actually surprised we got this far without anyone noticing." He peeked his head into the tent and walked in, the tent's door flapping in the breeze.

The room was dark and cold. Not an ounce of light came through besides the door flap.

"Who are you, you piece of vermin?" May cried, prying free of the man's grasp, finally having the ability to talk right.

The man, still cloaked in a black cape and ski mask was busy putting up a temporary steel gate to get people from coming in and coming out in front of the tent door. He finally turned around and faced May who was backed down to the other side of the tent. He smirked, but he doubted that May could see it. "Is that any way to speak to your father?" he asked as he took off the ski mask and smiled at May. "Surprise!"

"Daddy!" May cried in surprise, happiness, and annoyance. "What's the big deal with kidnapping me?" she asked, a slight frown on her face.

"I told him not to, but nooo." May's mom appeared from the shadows. "Your father is so stubborn sometimes."

"Mom!" May cried, running up to hug her mommy dearest. "You're here too?"

"Of course, sweetie!" Mrs. Maple, May's mother, let go of her daughter and smiled warmly at her. "Let's go out back shall we?" Mrs. Maple led May out to the back way of the tent that was a secret part of Mauville. She sat down on a wooden chair next to a table shaded by a green umbrella. "So dear. You really couldn't tell that your father was 'kidnapping' you?"

May took the seat across from her. "No actually. His face was covered in a ski mask."

Norman, May's dad, carried three sodas and passed one to everyone and sat down next to his wife. "But couldn't you tell by the Pokemon that Flare had to battle?" he asked, opening his soda can.

May opened hers too and took a sip. "Let me see. There were two Slakings and one Vigoroth ... Latios, dad," she groaned as Norman chuckled. "So why did you take me away?" She watched curiously as the two Slakings and Vigoroth appeared through a back gate in the back.

"For reasons unknown," Norman joked around. "Your mom and I wanted to see who liked you more, Brendan or Wally."

"How do you two know about them?" May asked, puzzled.

Mrs. Maple laughed. "That Wally boy has been calling our house everyday, asking if he can marry you."

"That's Wally all right," May sighed.

"And Brendan's mom tells me that Brendan calls her about what to do about getting a girl to like him. Hmm." Mrs. Maple smiled at May who was now blushing crimson. "My daughter sure does catch a lot of eyes now doesn't she?"

"Mom!" May complained as Norman laughed. "That's not funny dad!"

"To me it is." Norman laughed, smiling at his daughter. "Moving on, your mother and I decided to - you know - see who cares for you more. Whoever finds you will probably like you more, right? Right."

"Ooh," May understood. "What is this? A reality television show?"

- - -

"Mom, I am not going to marry May!" Brendan groaned, placing his head in his hands.

"Just yet anyway." Professor Birch smirked, giving Brendan another noogie.

The green-haired trainer glared at Brendan from his position on his porch. "He wishes," Wally trailed off. "I know _I_ want to marry May."

"Whatever, Wallace," Brendan frowned, causing the adults to chuckle.

"Brendan! Wally! Muddy! Skittles! Someone!" Flare ran into Verdanturf so fast she could barely stop. "May's been kidnapped!"

"What?!" Brendan exclaimed. "Who took her?"

"Calm down, B Boy," Muddy replied. "Breathe in. Breathe out."

"I can't breathe in and out with my girl out there!" Brendan bellowed, unaware of what he called May.

"What do you mean 'your girl,' Brandon?" Wally yelled angrily.

"Who cares about that crud right now, Wallace? May is in trouble! Get that through your thick-headed mind!"

"What do you mean May's in trouble, Flare?" Cherry asked calmly, flying over and landing on the Blaziken's shoulder.

The Blaziken caught her breath. "May saw someone lurking in the shadows, so she took me to check things out with her!" Flare stated in panic. "Then some guy said, 'I've been looking for you May' and then grabbed her arm! I tried to stop him, but the kidnapper sent out two Slakings and a Vigoroth! They kept holding me back and I couldn't get to May! Then the kidnapper dragged May away to somewhere I don't know, and it's all my fault!"

"Calm down, Flare," Muddy, this time, tried to calm down the Blaziken. "So what you're trying to say is May was kidnaped by an unknown force. Are you sure it wasn't Team Magma?"

"Duh, Mud-for-Brains, otherwise the kidnapper would have sent out fire Pokemon, not normal types."

Muddy giggled at this. "Haha, Team Normal." Flare glared at Muddy who smiled back sheepishly. "Okay, not the time to be goofy apparently."

"Brendan, dear, what's going on?" Mrs. Birch asked worriedly. "What happened to May?"

Brendan tried to speak in a nonchalant voice to his mother. "May's been kidnapped to a place unknown and by someone unknown," he said. He wrung his hands together in fret. "I just hope she's all right. She doesn't have any Pokemon with her."

"Then we better find her then ... Brendan," Wally said reluctantly.

"Whoa, what did you call me?"

"... Brendan."

"What?"

Wally refused to continue with that conversation and started a new one. "If May's Blaziken couldn't beat three of this person's Pokemon, then he must be strong right?"

"I guess so. Of course, three versus one isn't fair regardless of how strong a Pokemon is."

"Whose knows where she is by now. So if our Pokemon teams work together, I'm sure we'll be able to find her ... Brendan."

"Are you sure about this ... Wa-wal ... Wally?"

Wally signed inwardly. "Hey, we like the same girl, but we can't be enemies anymore if the girl we like ain't here." He held out his hand, "Allies until May is back?"

Brendan shook his hand. "All right, allies." He turned to May's Pokemon. "And you guys are helping right?"

"Of course!" Flare replied.

"Then let's go kick some kidnapper's butt!" Brendan cried.

"We'll stay here in case May escapes and to call May's parents, dear!" Mrs. Birch waved off the Pokemon and trainers.

"Go find May safe and sound!" Professor Birch added.

"And don't try to get your clothes too dirty, hun!" Mrs. Birch shouted. "We're going to the fair later!"

Brendan shook his head as he walked away. "May is kidnapped, and my mom's only concern is that my clothes will get dirty."

"Moms," Wally agreed, keeping up with Brendan's swift walking speed. "When I was still sick, my mom would make me eat so many vitamins when I only needed like two a day."

Brendan laughed as he returned all his Pokemon. "Did we actually have a conversation without biting each others heads off or talking about how pissy May can be?"

Wally shrugged. "I guess so."

"Uh, yeah excuse me?" Flare interrupted them by tapping them both on the shoulder. "I hate to bother this heart-to-heart chit chat but hello? May, the girl you two both like, is being held hostage!"

"Oh yeah," Brendan and Wally said in unison. "Then let's go!"

- - -

"I'd better email instead of using a viv-gram just in case, huh dear?" Professor Birch asked his wife from inside the Pokemon Center. "That way Norman can see how his plan is working."

"I agree," Mrs. Birch replied, smiling.

"Right," Professor Birch said, getting out his PokeNav. "To Norman Maple ..."

_To: Gym Leader Norman Norton_

_From: Professor Birch_

_Subject: Right On Track_

_Norman,_

_So far, so good. Brendan and Wally have set off to find May, but they have decided to work together. I'm not sure if it'll help you find a possible suitor for your daughter but it is good for the boys. I hear they are quite competitive when it comes to May. Good luck with the rest of your plan._

_ - Birch_

"Done." Professor Birch set the PokeNav onto the table. "Now we're just going to have to wait and see how this all works out."

Mrs. Birch glanced at the screen of the PokeNav. "That's nice, dear, but it would be good if you actually sent the message to Norman!" she said merrily.

"Oops."

- - -

**BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP**

Norman reached down to his belt loop. "That would be my-"

"PokeNav," May finished for him. "I got a new viv-message too."

"Oh," Norman replied, busy reading his e-mail sent from Professor Birch. "Well that's good, I suppose."

"What is?" May asked as her viv-gram was loading the camera for her own PokeNav.

"Brendan and Wally are looking for you but they're working together."

"Really? Weird," May replied as her viv-message started.

"May! Are you there?" Brendan shouted from the video screen.

"May! Are you okay?" Wally yelled pushed Brendan's head to the right to see into the screen too.

May looked up at her parents who mouthed to go along with the kidnapping sequence.

May put on her best scared face on. "Brendan! Wally! I'm so scared!" she whispered. "Hurry and find me!" she cried, forcing a few tears to come out of her eyes while trying hard not to laugh at the same time.

"Don't worry, May! We're coming!" Wally replied worriedly.

"Where are you? Do you know?" Brendan asked with the same amount of concern as Wally.

May tried to look up to her parents without looking suspicious. "Well, I think I'm-"

Norman put his black cape and ski mask on and held a fake gun up to May's head while taking hold of May's PokeNav. "Listen here, kiddies. You only have until six sharp to find your little girlfriend otherwise-" he loaded the gun, "-bam! Muhahaha!" Norman cancelled the viv-message and blocked all calls from Brendan and Wally for the time being.

"Nice laugh, dad," May complimented him, giggling.

"I know. I've practiced," Norman took off the ski mask and cape. "It gets awfully hot in this thing."

"Um, mind if you get the gun away from me?" May muttered, trying to push the gun away from her head with a finger.

"What? This?" Norman looked at the gun and shot it toward May. May winced but only colorful, foam-like string came out. "It's just silly string. Like I'd really hold a real gun to my daughter."

May sighed in relief as the string laid harmlessly at her feet. "I thought for a second it was a real gun."

"I may not see you quite as often as I used to or wish too, but I'm not that irresponsible, kiddo," Norman laughed, pocketing the "gun."

- - -

"Damn, I can't get a hold of her anymore!" Brendan growled, pressing the speed dial button for May over and over again. "'We're sorry, the PokeNavigator you are trying to contact is either blocking you, being used for another viv-message, or is currently turned off. Please try again later.'" Brendan mimicked the PokeNav.

"Please, do not mimic the PokeNavigator," the monotonous voice of Brendan's PokeNav came out.

"What?" Brendan asked the phone.

"Please do not ask the PokeNavigator any questions because this is a recording."

"Latios, I know that!"

"Then why are you yelling at the PokeNavigator?"

Brendan hung up the PokeNav. "Finally, it shut up!"

"Try again, Einstein!" the PokeNav replied.

Brendan pressed the turn off button again. "Freaky."

"Definitely," Wally agreed, shuddering. "Creepy little PokeNavs."

"Do not call your PokeNavigator creepy." Wally's PokeNav began to talk and vibrate on its own. Wally unhooked it and turned it off. "Devon Corporation, I believe Halloween is in a few weeks."

Brendan shrugged. "How are we suppose to find May without any clues?"

"Our Pokemon, duh!" Wally answered.

"I could have thought of that," Brendan said to himself.

"I'm sure." Wally rolled his eyes.

"I choose you, Sirius!" Brendan commanded, releasing his Mightyena from his Pokeball. Sirius burst free from his ball, landing on his four paws. "Try to sniff out for May!" Sirius began to sniff out a trail, his nose pressed against the dirt ground as he shifted his head left and right.

"Go Altaria!" Wally's newly evolved Pokemon came out in a burst of white light. The Altaria stretched her feathery blue body, spreading her soft, white wings. "Search up high in the skies for May!"

"You too, Silver!" Brendan told his fly Pokemon.

"I'm coming too!" Cherry flew after the Ninjask and Altaria.

"Wait up!" Tai chirped, descending into the skies.

"Come out, Sapphire!" Brendan let out his Lanturn into his arms. Sapphire cried out cheerfully. "Use your Confuse Ray! We can use the ultraviolet rays to find footprints!" Sapphire used her antennae and shot out a red beam that showed thousands of footprints on the floor. Brendan sighed before returning Sapphire to her ball. "Well that helped. Return, Sapphire!"

"Too many footprints," Wally murmured. "There has to be another way to find May."

"Hmm. I have Cy and Muddy left." Brendan gazed at the two Pokeballs that held his two remaining Pokemon. "And I don't know how much they'll do."

"Yo, B Boy!" Sirius cried, running over toward his trainer, panting. "I got a scent trail! It's very faint, but I think I can find her with it!"

Brendan and Wally looked at each other and smiled in relief. "That's great!" they said in unison.

"Bread Head! Wall Leak! We think we spotted May!" Silver and Cherry rushed back and flew down toward Brendan and Wally.

"She was in a very secret part of Mauville," Cherry explained.

"But she looked fine," Ninjask added.

"Weird. Not that it's a bad thing or anything." Brendan shrugged it off. "Whatever. Lead the way, Sirius!"

"Alrighty then!" Sirius replied, sniffing the trail out, the rest of May's Pokemon behind him. They quickly made their way into Mauville, weaving in between booths and alleyways. A few minutes later, Sirius stopped in a quiet, deserted location. "I think that she would be right here - hey! Who put this dumb tent in the way?" Sirius cried, trying to run his head with his front paw.

Brendan looked up and down the tent. "A psychic tent? Here of all places?"

"Tell me about it," Wally replied.

Brendan opened the tent flaps only to find a steel gate in front of it. He shook at them, but they held fast. "Damn, and the gates are locked too," he said sadly, noticing the lock.

"Then we're just going to have to bring it down, huh?" Flare smirked, her claws being licked by hot flames. "Bring Muddy and Roselia out. They'll know what to do."

"Whatever you say, Flare." Brendan shrugged but let out Muddy regardless. Muddy's ball spiraled in a blur of red and white before cracking opening, releasing the Swampert who stumbled around dizzily.

"All right," Wally said, releasing his Roselia in a beam of white light. The Roselia spun around a few times and posed, sparkles flying from her body.

Flare took in a deep breath before rushing toward the steel gate, punching it with a fiery claw. Soon after, Muddy inhaled and exhaled a power jet of cold water, making the steel bars release steam. Flare and Muddy repeated this process until they nodded to Roselia who spun around again, releasing sharp, jagged leaves from her body. The leaves flew toward the gate, slicing at the bars until they gave in. The bars fell over with a loud clunk.

The white-haired trainer blinked a few times. "How did you guys know what to do?" Brendan asked in awe.

"Don't you watch television, Bread Head?" Muddy asked, puffing his chest out in pride. "They always pull that trick whenever there's a gate in their way."

"Uh huh." Brendan eyed Muddy strangely but walked through the broken down gate. It took awhile for his eyes to adjust to the dim room. "Ugh, it's so dark and gloomy in here."

The green-haired trainer quickly followed Brendan, squinting his eyes. "Where's May?" Wally asked, walking over the debris. "It's only five, so she should be okay. Right?"

"You mean six." Norman came out of the shadows wearing his cape and mask, one arm holding a gun to May's head, the other pinning her by the neck.

"Damn this daylight's saving time!"

"Let May go right now!" Brendan bellowed, Muddy behind him, a determined smirk sketched on his face.

Norman released several varieties of Normal types from Linoones to Slakings, "Make sure their Pokemon don't bother us..." he commanded; Norman's Pokemon each took an opposing Pokemon and began to spar with them.

Norman checked his watch. "Oh look, one minute after six, and one minute too late!" He loaded the gun. "Oh well!"

"May!" Brendan and Wally gasped in horror.

Norman took off his ski mask and smiled. "Happy early Halloween, boys!"

"Norman?!" the boys said together, surprised.

May got out of her father's grip. "Gotcha!"

Wally and Brendan looked at each other and fainted.

* * *

I wish I could do reviews now but I can't... have to go somewhere... ^-^

LaTeR dAyZ!!


	7. The Man Who Played with Fire

Crap! I went over the little date thing on my bio huh?

Muddy: Yup.

And you didn't tell me?

Muddy: Nope.

You're stupid.

Muddy: Yup.

Well why didn't you tell me?

Muddy: Nope.

(sighs) Disclaimer!

**Disclaimer**: Once upon a time, there was a girl who said, "I don't own Pokemon." End of story.

Muddy: Yup.

Can't you say anything else?

Muddy: Nope.

Flare: Hey Muddy?

Muddy: Yup.

Flare: Are you going to take over the world?

Muddy: N-nope.

Flare: Really now?

Muddy: Y-yup.

Flare: (smirks) Are you smarter yet?

Muddy: N-nope.

Flare: Uh huh. So will you give me your stash of rare candy?

Muddy: Y-y. No! YOU EVIL CHICKEN! NEVER COME IN BETWEEN A POKEMON AND HIS CANDY! (takes a deep breath) AND ANOTHER THING! I AM GOING TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD, YES REALLY I AM! AND I MEANT TO SAY "YUP" NOT "NOPE" BUT NO! I JUST HAD TO GO WITH MY DAMN PATTERN! I AM SMARTER, THOUGH IT DOESN'T SHOW, BUT TRUST ME. YOU WON'T BE SAYING ANYTHING WHEN I TAKE OVER THE WORLD! MUHAHAHAH, MUHAHAHA, MUHAHA- ack! (runs out of air)

Flare: Happy?

Very much. ^_^

* * *

**The Man who Played with Fire**

_In a field of white flowers, the boy and the girl lay on their backs, staring at the fluffy white clouds above them as they daydreamed about life, love and - suddenly, dark, looming clouds overshadowed them. A splatter of water hit the boy in the forehead as the boy and girl quickly got up and ran towards a shaded tree. The rain came down more furiously and the wind howled. The boy glanced at the girl with fearful eyes as she clung to him; he knew something was coming up that would change their lives forever..._

Brendan and Wally frowned as they both leaned back in his chair, holding ice packs against his head. It was easy to tell that the two were clearly disappointed in not making a dramatic rescue. Fainting in front of the girl of their dreams sure didn't makes things any better. The mass bombardment of parents didn't help either; there was a whole lot of drama, mama. Speaking of moms (not unless you ignored the lame rhyme) ...

"Brendan, you got your clothes all dirty when you fainted," Mrs. Birch commented, brushing the dirt off Brendan's shoulders. "At least it's not much."

"Mom!" Brendan complained. "Not here!"

"Aw, why not, honey?" Mrs. Birch cooed, running her hands through her son's hair, ruffling it up. "Are you embarrassed?"

This caused a fit of laughter out of Wally, making Brendan send him a death glare his way. If looks could kill, Wally would have been - you know - dead. Amazing, isn't it?

"Dirt can't hurt!" Wally chirped happily. "You dirty, dirty boy!" He clucked his tongue in mocking disapproval. "Shame Brendan, shame!"

"Shut up!" Brendan growled, sending another ice cold glare Wally's way.

"Now, now, Brendan Birch. That's no way to talk to your friend!" Mrs. Birch shook her head in disprovement, "And even if you two are rivals that doesn't mean you have to be so mean about it!"

Brendan muttered incoherent words about Wally and his ugly, green head.

May entered the room, looking excited and jubilant, her hand clutching a red paper with black words. "Guess what you guys!" she yelled happily, causing the two boys to groan in pain from the high-pitched noise. "Tonight's event at the fair is going to be a Pokemon battle! The prize is all the Pokemon dolls or chocolate you can carry! We have to enter!" she finished, dancing around the room, her eyes sparkling. "Imagine it. All the cute, cuddly Pokemon dolls that I can have and call my own!" She stopped twirling, but she continued screaming like no tomorrow.

Brendan and Wally put his hands over his ears to cover May's ranting. Most of the time they would be joyful at this spectacle but now all they wanted was to be in a sound-proof safe.

"... And maybe I can have a very squishy Wailmer doll, or the entire Torchic chain in Pokemon dolls!" May continued jabbering, not even noticing the boys sliding slowly to the floor. "Latias, if I win all the Pokemon battles, I can probably get _all _the evolutions of my Pokemon in doll form!"

All of the adults watched amusedly as May began to talk, and talk, and talk, and talk and so on and so forth.

"Stop the screaming!" Brendan complained, sliding down further in his chair. "I swear, May! Sometimes that high-pitched little scream of yours can be a higher octave than a Loudred's Hyper Voice attack!"

"Haha, you're so funny! Your mind power never ceases to amaze me!" May laughed sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, I'm going to sign up for the contest. Do you guys want to join in too?"

"I would, if I could," Wally admitted. "But I can't. I have to visit my parents back in Petalburg." He grumbled to himself but stopped instantly when his aunt started to glare at him. He laughed nervously. "Er, what I mean is I would if I could, but I get to visit my oh so wonderful parents back in Petalburg City!" He gave a faux smile to his aunt. "Yeah ..."

May shrugged. "Okay then." She turned to Brendan. "What about you, B Boy? No chocolate for you?"

Brendan slid off his chair entirely and fell on his back onto the floor. "Ugh, don't mention that word around me." He moaned in agony. "Whenever I faint, it feels like I want to throw up or something."

May eyed Brendan weirdly but nodded. "All right. Whatever floats your boat!"

"Seasickness."

May giggled. "Chocolate!"

Brendan rushed to the toilet, leaving behind chuckling adults and Pokemon trainers.

- - -

"... And for the ninth consecutive time, Pokemon Trainer May Maple from Littleroot Town has won against Battle Girl Amy from our very own Mauville City!" the announcer cried, making half of the viewers watching the battles scream their heads off in victory, pleased with the battle results so far.

"Stop the damn screaming!" Brendan screeched, covering his ears. "You're giving me a headache! Latios!"

Immediately all the girl fans of Brendan noticed him and jumped all over him.

"Mommy," he groaned, trying to push the girls off him.

"I'm over here, dear!" Mrs. Birch said cheerfully.

"Ugh."

"At least it got quieter," Professor Birch muttered while watching his son, amused with this spectacle instead of May's upcoming battle with a Fire Breather from Lavaridge.

The crowd slowly died down from its shrieking and yelling to watch the last battle for the grand prize. A Bug Maniac's picture faded into the light and was replaced with Fire Breather Bernard's picture.

May glanced at her approaching opponent and smirked. _A fire type trainer, huh?_ she thought. T_he attire gives it off. Well, I'll fight fire with fire!_ May stepped back into the trainer's box and smiled at her opponent. "Ready to battle?" she asked.

"Ready when you are!" the Fire Breather smirked back, enlarging a Pokeball of his from his pocket.

May followed suit and got ready for this battle's rules.

"The rules are simple for this round," the judge said, holding the trademark red and green flag. "Each trainer shall use one Pokemon each! No time limit! The one who wins this battle will win all the Pokedolls they want or all the chocolate they want! We shall now decide what field this battle will take place on!"

Everyone turned their heads to the trainer board which showed what field the trainers would use. The light lit up and spun around the four different areas: ice, rock, grass, and water. The light slowed down and ended up on ice. Within a few seconds, the ground shook and the battlefield (which was littered with pointy rocks) withdrew into the ground. Seconds later, it was replaced with a freezing ice field filled with glaciers.

The judge continued. "Ready ..." He rose up both flags and then brought them down with a quick motion of his arms. "Begin!"

"I choose you, Torkoal!" The Fire Breather chose out the fire-type tortoise, its billowing, white smoke coming out from the strange, volcano-shaped hump on its back. The Torkoal roared, eager for the battle.

May released her Blaze Pokemon, getting ready for another exciting battle. She shrunk down Flare's Pokeball and smiled smugly once again. "Since I'm feeling generous, I'll let you attack first!"

"You're getting too cocky, May," Brendan warned, coaching her from behind. "Be careful about that. Never underestimate anyone!"

"You're going to regret that move, missy!" Fire Breather said triumphantly. "Torkoal, let's make this a quick battle and hit that Blaziken with a Magnitude!" Torkoal bellowed its mighty cry and stomped on the floor, leaving a gigantic crack in the ground. The crack sped toward Flare at an alarmingly fast rate but luckily Flare only had to jump up with her strong legs to evade it.

"Flare, use a Sky Uppercut!" May ordered.

Flare landed gracefully landed on an iceburg and directly jumped and punched Torkoal skyward despite how heavy it looked. Torkoal landed on its back, its legs flailing everywhere in an effort to get back on its tiny, little feet.

May took advantage of this. "While its down, Flare! Blaze Kick attack!"

Flare charged up her legs with blue and white flames and kicked the Torkoal with tremendous power, sending it flying backward into another iceberg. The hot lava spilled out from its volcano top, instantly melting the ice into water.

"That gives me an idea," the Fire Breather thought out loud. "Knowing this May girl, she'll just use the Blaziken's fighting type to beat Torkoal and I'll never have a chance that way. But maybe-"

"Hey! We're still battling here!" May cried, interrupting the Fire Breather's thoughts.

"May! Be polite!" Mrs. Maple barked.

"Sorry mom."

The Fire Breather chuckled and smirked. "Torkoal, melt all the ice surrounding the Blaziken!" he commanded.

Torkoal shot out a stream of hot fire toward the Blaziken to thaw the icebergs into water. A few minutes later, Flare's half was water while Torkoal's was still in its solid ice formation, leaving Flare stranded be herself, wobbling unevenly on a thin piece of ice, surrounded by frosty water.

"I told you, May," Brendan taunted.

May only smiled back at him in return. "Duh, B Boy! Think! Flare has strong legs! She can just jump over the water and land on Torkoal's side!"

"But May!"

May ignored Brendan's coaching tips. "Flare! Jump over the water and use Blaze Kick again!"

"That's it," the Fire Breather said quietly. "Just where I wanted you ..."

Flare obeyed, jumping up, making the tiny little iceberg island sink into the depths of the ice-cold lake.

Fire Breather just smirked. "Now Torkoal! While it's about to land - Magnitude!"

Just about when Flare was about to land, Torkoal raised its two front paws and pounded the ground, creating another deep crack in the ground, but only this time Flare wasn't able to evade it. The strong Magnitude attack pushed Flare back into the frigid waters of the field.

"Flare!" May cried, her fists clenching in fear.

Flare's head just bobbed above the surface. She started sputtering and thrashing about. The Blaze Pokemon did not like water at all, and she didn't like the icy coldness of this lake didn't help much either.

"Are you all right, Flare?" May asked worriedly.

Flare coughed again and tried to swim. She gave May a thumbs-up, a sign to show her that she was okay.

May thought, panicked. How could she get Flare out without the Fire Breather to counter with another Magnitude? She looked back at Brendan who just shrugged in return, clueless also. She stressed out, fearing the worst.

"Breathe May, it'll be ok..." Brendan said to himself, "Just think... I would tell you but-"

"Flare! Try to jump out of the water and land behind Torkoal! And then kick him into the water and give him a taste of his own medicine!" May commanded, an idea generating through her head.

"All right May!" Brendan cheered.

Flare struggled but was powerful enough to jump out of the icy cold depths. Landing behind Torkoal, she pushed against Torkoal's back, making it slide hard into the arctic water. Unlike Flare, who was able to keep her cool so to speak, Torkoal immediately fainted, leaving May the winner of the tournament.

The judge raised up the red flag. "And the winner of the fair battles is May Maple from Littleroot!"

The crowds roared in delight, but Brendan was the loudest.

The judge and the Fire Breather smirked and they said in unison, "But too bad little May won't be winning anything. Instead Team Magma won something!"

"What?" Brendan and May cried out in unison as the crowds gasped in shock.

Suddenly, nets dropped from the sky, taking hold of May and Flare. The hot air balloon that connected the nets rose up into the air, leaving May and Flare captive in the net.

"Hey, you won't get away with this!" Brendan yelled, jumping onto the battlefield and grabbing a hold of the net. He too rose off the ground by a few feet but unfortunately Team Magma Grunts got a hold of him and dropped him to the floor.

Brendan landed on his bottom but quickly got back on his feet. He enlarged Silver's Pokeball. "I choose you, Silver!" With a flash of white light, Silver took form, only to be recalled again.

"What the-"

From behind the stands came out a well polished man, his red hair slicked back and his black pants crisp and ironed. His red and black shirt was embroidered with the Team Magma symbol. He chuckled evilly, sending the observers and fans scattering away as far as they could, shouting and screaming. Only Brendan and Norman stayed behind, each one glowering at the leader of Team Magma.

"Maxie!" Brendan bellowed from the battlefield as the Team Magma leader came closer. "What have you done with May?"

"I swear, if you hurt one hair on my little girl's head ..." Norman trailed off on his threat, flames in his usual kind-hearted eyes.

Maxie brush aside the threat. "I have set up this so-called 'Pokemon Battle Contest' to capture the strongest trainer in the fair. And luckily it was your little girlfriend too!" He laughed as Brendan's eyebrows furrowed in anger. "Aw, did I make widdle Bwendan mad?"

"You better tell me where May is or you'll have me to deal with!" Brendan said, his anger reaching the limit. He took out Muddy's Pokeball, gripping it tightly.

Maxie just chortled again. "Go ahead. Try and attack me! I don't have any Pokemon with me."

"Go Muddy!" Brendan released his Swamp Pokemon only to have him be returned to his Pokeball. "What the hell is going on?"

Maxie shook his head. "As long as this is activated-" he showed them a wristwatch on his wrist with a beeping red light, "-it will return all Pokemon to their Pokeballs except for the ones wearing these special collars." Maxie looked up into the sky. "Looks like your little girlfriend is gone, Birch!" He then turned to face Norman. "The Petalburg gym leader, huh?"

"Yeah," Norman growled, the rage in his eyes growing with every passing second.

"I see. Want to see your daughter alive again then? Then listen to me. We'll be sending you random calls to Mauville from anywhere: Johto, Kanto, Hoenn, and so on. You - and I mean all of you - have to do everything that we say otherwise the girl gets it!" Maxie checked his watch. "Looks like my time is up. We'll meet again, Birch! You're going to regret leaving the Team Magma Corporation!" And with that, dark gray cloud blanketed over Maxie. Brendan and Norman tried to reach out and grab him, but it was too late. He was gone.

"Dammit!" Brendan roared. "I promised May I would always be there and I broke it in less than ten minutes!" He began to run toward the upper exit of Mauville.

"Where are you going?" Norman asked. "Maxie said we had to wait for the call and follow as he says to save my daughter!"

Brendan stopped in his tracks. "Just trust me, I know what I'm doing! Just make sure everyone else follows what Maxie says." Brendan never gave orders to an adult, but he didn't care right now. "As for me, I'm going to save the girl I love!"

* * *

Eh, this was alright in my opinion.

Reviews, do later, busy, ah!

LaTeR dAyZ!


	8. Magma Meltdown

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Thee is sorry if thou is pissed off about that.

Joking: I'm Joking, Sirius' twin brother! I'm older by two minutes!

Muddy: Are you serious?

Joking: No, I'm Joking.

Sirius: Hey Joking! I found Kidding!

Kidding: Hello! I'm older than Sirius by four minutes, making me the oldest!

Skittles: You're kidding right?

Kidding: Yup, I'm Kidding.

Skittles: Oh, so you're NOT older than Sirius by four minutes then?

Kidding: No, I am.

Skittles: Are you joking?

Joking: I'm Joking. He's Kidding.

Skittles: So "Kidding" is really "joking" then right?

Joking: No, I'm Joking

Kidding: And I'm Kidding.

Muddy: Are you serious?

Kidding and Joking: (point to Sirius) He's Sirius!

Skittles: He's never serious!

Sirius: I'm always Sirius!

Skittles: No you're not! You have to be kidding to believe that Sirius is always serious!

Kidding: Oh, so now you're saying that I believe Sirius is serious?

Muddy: Gah, I'm confused now. x.X

* * *

**Magma Meltdown**

_The rain poured, the sky roared, and lightning bolts flashed. There was a storm brewing, and the boy and the girl were caught in the middle of it. The boy sighed deeply. A lightening bolt shot down a tree twenty yards away from them, causing the whole world below their feet to vibrate violently, sparking the tree into a bright inferno. The red-orange fire sent a pang of worry through the boy's stomach. He turned to face the girl, but there was no girl there. Like that flash of lightning, she was there a minute ago but disappeared faster than a blink of an eye. And like the fire, it sent the boy one of the worst feeling in the world: worry._

Brendan ran as fast as quickly as his legs could take him, not even bothering to deal with the hassles of getting out and unfolding his Mach bike. He soon reached the water's edge, the tide overlapping his shoes. With a quick flick of his wrist, he got out Muddy's Pokeball.

"I choose you, Muddy!"

The familiar flash of white light appeared but seconds later the light returned inside its Pokeball.

"Damn!" Brendan cursed, rubbing his eyes. Somehow, the light in the Pokeball got brighter. "I know where the Magma hideout is, yet I can't even get to it!" He kicked a rock into the water, watching it make vibrations. He shuddered. His only hope to get to May was to contact someone who already had a Pokemon out. It was someone that he detested so much. It was someone who's name was ...

- - -

"Mothers!" Wally groaned as he flew on the back of his Altaria. The wind rushed through his hair and the clouds broke as they rode through them. "Why do they always ask if you changed your underwear?" he asked.

His Altaria shrugged slightly and sung a eerie yet beautiful tune.

**BEEP BEEP BEEP!**

"Ah! It's come back to haunt me!" Wally exclaimed, almost leaping off Altaria. He reached down and unhooked the PokeNav off his belt and press the flashing red button on the gadget.

"New video message from Pokemon Trainer Brendan," his PokeNav stated.

"Oh damn. What does the retard want with me tonight?" Wally complained as he accepted the message. The video screen loaded seconds later. "What do you want, Birch?" he spat.

Brendan rolled his eyes. "Don't even start, Wallace. We have a problem. May's been kidnapped by Team Magma!"

"Then why didn't you stop them, you dolt?" Wally shouted over the rush of wind. "You're a Pokemon Trainer dammit!"

"Duh, I know that!" Brendan said, his temper rising. "Latios, why did I ask _you_ of all trainers to help me? Anyway, I can't. Magma has invented some invention that returns all Pokemon automatically when released if they don't have some stupid collar around their neck. You're the only one that I know that has a Pokemon out right now..." he trailed off, hesitating. "So, um, I ... I ... I need your help." He winced slightly. "Did I just say that?"

Wally blinked twice and smirked. "Looks like the great Brendan Birch needs help from me now, huh?"

"Wally, c'mon."

"Fine. What do I do?"

"Well, you can't come into Mauville, because your Altaria will be returned," Brendan said. "And Veranturf probably has a sensor too. Where would Team Magma least likely go to that isn't too far from Mauville?" He paused. "Any ideas, genius?"

Wally shook his head. "No, but maybe-" A sudden gust of breeze made Altaria fly off course, making Wally lose reception with Brendan. It was a hot air balloon with a net trailing a few feet behind it.

"Wally!" someone cried but was swept away with the wind.

"May?" Wally cried out. "After them, Altaria!"

Altaria sung another mournful yet graceful melody and flew swiftly after the fast moving hot air balloon. They soon were a few yards behind the balloon.

"I can't just pop the balloon because May is inside that net," Wally thought out loud over Altaria's song. "Wait, why isn't Altaria being returned? I'm almost near Mauville, but Altaria is still outside," Wally noticed Altaria's song. "Is there something that affects the sensors when Altaria sings?"

"Hey, we have some spies after us!" A Team Magma Agent shouted. "But his Pokemon is not being returned!"

"Who cares?" another Team Magma Agent cried. "Attack the boy, take him out! Go Charizard!" The Magma Member threw a Pokemon into the moonlit sky and it formed into a tall, orange, fire-breathing dragon with a small flame on its tail.

"You too, Charizard!" The other Team Magma Agent sent out the same powerful beast.

"Oh crap," Wally cursed to himself, Altaria still singing her tune. "We'll never beat two Charizards like this! Maybe one ... but still." He looked around and saw the familiar lights of Mauville. "That song Altaria sings must protect her somehow like a high-pitched transmission thing. I don't know how but-"

"Attack!"

"Crap!" Wally groaned. "Keep singing that song, Altaria, and fly into Mauville City!"

Altaria sung in her high-pitched voice and dove into the city with amazing agility. As Wally guessed, the Charizard duo followed behind.

"Meet us back at you know where when your through with them!" The Team Magma Agent cried as they flew in the other direction. The Charizards roared back as if they understood and chased after Wally and Altaria.

"Where the hell is he?" Wally groaned as they flew into alleys, over houses, and under tents. They had no fear of hitting anyone because everyone was inside, scared of getting kidnapped by Team Magma just like May.

A Charizard thundered angrily and shot a blast of fire at Wally. Altaria dodged it and continue flying through the city her melody echoing throughout the town.

"Maybe I can get those dumb neck things off one of the Charizard's necks that way it will be automatically returned," Wally muttered to himself. "Altaria, keep singing and use a Twister!"

Altaria stopped mid-track of flying and quickly conjured a small wind tornado at one of the Charizards, making them stop chasing them for a few minutes. She then took off again, leaving them behind in their dust.

"Now to find Bren-"

The Charizards blew double jets of fire at Altaria. She ducked, but it nearly scorched Wally's back in the process.

"They recovered fast," Wally observed. "We have to get one of those things off! But how?" Altaria evaded another Flamethrower, her song getting weaker by the minute. "Gotta hurry and defeat these things. Altaria is getting tired!" He panicked for a minute. Luckily, he spotted Brendan walking down the street. "Hang on, idiot!" Altaria flew right into Brendan, and Wally grabbed Brendan by the arm, pulling him onto Altaria's back.

"What the-" Brendan yelled, as he clung onto Altaria's fluffy white body. "I've been trying to - why are there - how is Altaria in Mauville without being returned?" he finally got out.

Wally shrugged. "I think it has something to do with her song. It blocks out the sensor or something. Anyway, I need to get one of those collars off a Charizard or Altaria will never have a chance! Any ideas?" he asked as Altaria flew over a building.

"Why don't we just get out of Mauville and fly somewhere else?" Brendan asked, ducking as the Charizards shot another Flamethrower.

"Because, it will take to long to fly over Mauville to somewhere that doesn't have a detector and I'm not willing to risk Altaria's health for that!" Wally snapped, frustrated. "How can I get one of those damn things off?" he asked in frustration again.

Brendan frowned as if thinking. He enlarged a Pokeball.

"Remember, idiot? A Pokemon without the sensor collars will be automatically returned - well besides Altaria anyway."

"So what? Just because I can't use my Pokemon, doesn't mean I can't use their Pokeball!" Brendan smirked, making Wally confused. He slapped his head in annoyance. "Just watch." He threw a Pokeball into the air, and it flashed a brilliant white light, blinding the two Charizards for a second. "See?" he asked, smirking again, catching the ball in his hand. "It distracts them! Trust me, I know." He rubbed his eyes. "The light is quite annoying. Ah, anyway, while I distract them, attack their neck and try to break the collars! Got it?"

"Crystal," Wally replied.

Brendan this time threw all six Pokeballs of his, each one making a dazzling illumination, blinding the Charizards for a minute.

"Better finish this off now! Altaria Hyper Beam now!" Wally cried.

Altaria, still singing her tune, flew down toward the ground and turned around to face the half-blinded Charizards. She quickly charged up a beam within her mouth, her tune still going on quietly. She shot it but had to end her song. She was returned soon after but the attack came through. The golden beam hit at the Charizards' neck level, breaking the collars. A beam of red light surrounded them, and they were rapidly returned back to their owners.

Brendan and Wally landed on their bottom, seeing as they were sitting on Altaria.

"Ouch!" Wally stood up and rubbed his bottom. "At least we got rid of the Charizards." He sighed and noticed that Brendan was up and hunched over the ground.

Brendan reached down and picked up the two broken collars. The glass that covered the blinking red light was cracked on both of them and the fabric that held it together was ripped, but if they just fixed it up a bit, they could be used again. He tossed Wally one. "I don't know why I'm giving _you_ one seeing as I can save May by myself but you did help get them." He rolled his eyes.

Wally glared and pocketed the collar. "Know anyone that can fix them?" he questioned.

- - -

"Er, thanks Rydel," Brendan said as he took the two collars that were now blinking red every few seconds.

"No problem," Rydel replied. "Fixing bikes is my speciality but sometimes I like to fix computers and other electronic devices. See you later, dudes!"

"Later Rydel, and thanks again!" Wally said as he opened the door back outside to Mauville. "I didn't know Rydel was a computer nerd."

Brendan shrugged his shoulders and examined the collar carefully. "I don't see how we can get these on our Pokemon when they just get returned two seconds later." He frowned. "You say Altaria's song overrode the sensor huh?"

Wally nodded. "Yeah. She started singing it when we past over Slateport." He paused for a moment. "So I'm guessing the Southern half of Hoenn probably doesn't have a sensor chip or whatever they use since its mostly contains small towns." He enlarged Altaria's Pokeball. "But you do know that this means we have to work together again."

"Oh right. Let me think for a minute." Brendan put his hand under his chin and looked as if he were in deep thought. "Fine. I'll do it for May," he answered reluctantly. "Why does that girl always find trouble?"

"Um, do I look like May?"

"Let's hope not."

Wally rolled his eyes and whispered some words into Altaria's Pokeball telling her to immediately sing to avoid being automatically returned. "C'mon out Altaria!" he yelled, releasing his flying type in a beam of white light. Altaria's high-pitched melody rung through the two trainers' ears, singing ever so gracefully. Wally sighed and climbed onto Altaria, pocketing the blinking red collar into his pants pocket. He looked at Brendan who's feet were still firmly on the ground. He rolled his eyes once again. "Hello? I know your slow, gramps, but can you move a little more faster?"

Brendan crossed his arms and scowled. "Who are you calling gramps, you little son of a mother?"

"Son ... of a mother?"

"Shut up."

"Make me!"

"I will!"

"You can't make me, so ha!"

"Are you willing to find out?"

"...Whatever."

"That's what I thought!" Brendan smirked as he climbed onto Wally's Altaria. "If you tell anyone that I asked for your help, you will be spending all your time with your head twenty feet below the dirt. Got it?"

"Oh yeah, Brendan. Like you can push my head that far."

"Can we just go now?"

"Fine. Have it your way." Wally shook his head and instructed Altaria to fly toward Littleroot Town. "May the best man win."

Brendan eyed Wally, confused as Altaria gently rose off the ground and sped up as they flew into the midnight sky. "Win what?"

"Duh!" Wally slapped his forehead in annoyance. "Haven't you've read those Pokemon fairy tale books where the boy rescues the girl from a tragic fate, making them end up closer together than before?"

"I'm sorry, Wallace. I actually have a life unlike you who willing spends his free time reading Dr. Seuss books."

"They are not Dr. Seuss books! I had to read them for ... uh, Pokemon School."

"You were home-schooled weren't you?"

"Shut up! As I was trying to say, they eventually fall in love and blah, blah, blah and all that crappity crap... crap."

"Ooh, nice words there, Wannabe!"

"Shut up, Brendork!"

"If I had a million dollars for every time you said, 'Shut up!' I would be a millionaire!"

"Stupid. That's because you said, 'If I had a million dollars for every time I say shut up!'"

"Shut-!"

"Ha!"

"... Please tell me we're near Littleroot."

Altaria's tune seem to arch into a peaceful, happy sort of song as they descended downwards toward Littleroot Town. Brendan sighed and remember the first time he met May ...

_(Flashba-)_

"Ow!" Brendan was interrupted from his flashback as Altaria landed roughly on the ground, making Brendan fly head first into his own mailbox. "Stupid mailbox," he muttered under his breath. "I don't even get mail."

"I told you we were landing, smart one." Wally hopped off Altaria and patted her head affectionately. Her calm and quiet song soon stopped afterward but Altaria did not return to her owner's Pokeball. Wally noticed this first. "Well, Littleroot is safe," he stated. "So, who's the one Pokemon that your going to use against Team Magma? I'm going to use my Gardevoir ... and Altaria of course!" He patted her head again, smiling.

"Duh, Muddy!" Brendan released his mud/water type. "Muddy is my strongest, and he'll have a type advantage against the fire and ground types of Magma!" He got out the collar and clipped around Muddy's wrist. "Sorry, pal but you got to wear this stupid thing if you want to venture outside your Pokeball in the Northern and Eastern region."

"It's all right." Muddy shrugged. "So what happened? You know me, not paying much attenti-" Muddy began to look at the dent in the mailbox. "Hey B Boy, you got a dent in that mail thingy mah bobber."

Brendan rubbed the top of his head. "I know, but as you were trying to ask, May got kidnapped by Team Magma during a battle and I have to get her back!"

"You mean I have to get her back right?" Wally questioned.

"No, I-"

"What?"

"What?"

"What?"

"What?"

"Argh, just forget it!" Brendan groaned, smacking his forehead with his hand. "Now according to my past months as a Magma member, the new hideout should be in Lilycove in a. .. cove near the city. The place is probably surrounded by guards by now and the sensors must be stronger there also. So if we leave by tonight, we should get there by one thirty in the morning, giving us some time to prepare and search the Magma hideout. Then if we don't find May, we can get out by three somehow, sleep for three hours, then get back in there! Sound good?"

"I don't like the sounds of that." Wally frowned slightly. "Besides, where would Team Magma keep May? I mean, she is already being betted on to win the Hoenn League so she must be a good asset to Team Magma. Then again, what would they want with May anyway?"

"Well, May was an important Team Aqua member before," Brendan said, rubbing his chin as if to look intelligent. "Maybe they want her to leak out some secret Aqua information. And she is a strong trainer. They could force her to battle for them."

"But May would never battle for them."

"That's what I'm worried about."

- - -

"I hate this place! Let me out!" Skittles mewed angrily, ramming her head against the iron jail cell. "Ooh, look at the pretty Torchics," she murmured, swirling her head as far as it could go in both directions.

Thunderbolt (who was currently laying on the dirty, cold floor) looked up from where his head rested on his two front paws. He sighed as Skittles sat on her back legs, staring wistfully out of the cage cell. "I can't believe I'm doing this," he murmured to himself as he got up as walked over slowly to Skittles. "Er... hey Skittles."

Skittles blinked twice, jolting out of her thoughts. "Huh? Oh, hey T.B." She sighed to herself, straining her neck to look out of the murky, begrimed window.

"Anything wrong?" Thunderbolt asked, sitting on his two back feet also.

"I miss May," Skittles replied sadly. "And Flare ... and Cherry ... and Tai ... Hell, I even miss Sirius!" she cried, alarming a few other Pokemon in their cell cages.

"I know," Thunderbolt retorted, frowning slightly.

"What? No kind words of pity or anything?" Skittles joked, smiling a bit.

Thunderbolt shook his head. "I can't say things will be all right because the truth is I don't know if they will be."

"Hey, at least your honest."

"But what I can say is that no matter what, I'll be here."

"Wow, that makes me feel _so_ much better."

"I'm the sarcastic one, remember?"

"Whatever."

"Eh with your 'whatever.'"

"Hey T.B.?"

"What Skittles?"

"You never did answer my question that one fair night."

"Ugh."

- - -

"Ew, what's that smell?" Cherry asked, her eyes flinching a bit as she hovered in the air

"Sorry," Tai muttered under his breath. He too was hanging in the air. He paused and thought out loud. "Wait, how can you smell? You don't have a nose!"

"So?" Cherry retaliated. "I can smell with my antenna, smart one."

"Why thank you! I am smart!"

"Ugh. I hope May is all right. I hope everyone else is too."

"Trust me on this one Cherry. With Flare around, I'm sure May is out and about, stretching her legs and looking at the full moon right now."

"But still-"

"What? You're always so pessimistic!"

"Am not!"

"Tell me. If someone drank a cup of water and left half, then what's left?"

"Its half empty of course!"

"See! Pessimistic! The optimistic would see that as half full."

"C'mon! I live in reality unlike you who dreams of a wedding when you see a cute bird and then ending up crashing into a - I don't know - a Ferris wheel car!"

"Hey! I only did that once!"

"Yeah, when they were about to kiss!"

"Anyway, it's half full!"

"Half empty!"

"Half full!"

"Is not!"

"Is to!"

"Is not!"

"Is to!"

- - -

"May," Brendan whispered into the night time air, his breath hitting his face mixed in with the clouds and the bone-shattering wind. Altaria dove in and out of the mist with ease and grace as if she were dancing, her soft hum being the music. It relaxed Brendan, calming his nerves, easing his worry. He looked over to Wally and saw his determined face, his eyebrows furrowing, his hair being tossed in the wind. Brendan couldn't help but smirk. This was one of the times where he didn't laugh at Wally's cockiness because he knew he was wearing the same look upon his face too. He looked down below. The world was dark, everything was still as if humankind was holding its breath, waiting for May's return. He just wonder if she was all right.

A piece of paper hit Brendan squarely in the face. He took it in his hands and smiled, yelling. "Hey! I got mail!"

- - -

"Let me _go_!" May demanded, kicking and squirming about. "I told you I'm not going to tell you anything!" May was hanging by her arms by mere rope hanging over a pit of lava (from Mt. Chimney of course) in a fire proof container. "You can kill me, but then who's going to tell you about Team Aqua's plans now?" She couldn't help but smirk. It was true. Any other Team Aqua member would do the same.

"She's got a point, Admin," a Team Magma Grunt murmured to Team Magma Admin Tabitha. "You know it's rather difficult to get past Team Aqua's barriers let along capturing one-"

"Quiet, you fool!" Tabitha barked. "Don't you think I know that?"

"I doubt it," May said under her breath.

"What was that little girl?" Tabitha questioned, glaring coldly.

"Nothing."

Tabitha glared at her once again and turned to the other Team Magma members. "Get the secret weapon!" she ordered. Two Magma members left, leaving May confused. Tabitha smirked. "If you won't tell us now, just wait 'til you see what we have in store for you."

May glowered at Tabitha. "Nothing can scare me!" she stated proudly. "I've been up against you and your dirty tricks before!"

Tabitha just laughed. "You just wait."

May tried to swing the rope from side to side but to no effect. The rope was secured to a metal beam that hung from the roof.

"It's here," one of the Team Magma Grunts alerted the Admin. "Shall we send her in?"

"Yes, proceed with operation meltdown," Tabitha commanded.

"Yes ma'am."

May squinted her eyes as bright light entered the dim room. Two heavily guarded doors opened slowly, and May could see a tall yet slim object standing in the middle of the door frame. As the object came closer, she gasped in horror as the light slowly reached the shadowy object. "What have you done with Flare?"

- - -

"Welcome to Lilycove City," Wally said gloomily. "Wow, no one's outside. Not one light on, not ... anything!"

"Well yeah. It is one in the morning, genius!" Brendan replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Most normal people sleep at this time of night."

"Then why are you still up?"

"Are you calling me normal?"

"Damn, that comeback didn't go as planned."

Brendan rolled his eyes again. "Fly over Lilycove and look for a cove just outside!" he told Wally.

Wally nodded his head and instructed Altaria to fly into a cove if she spotted one. Altaria nodded, still humming her tune and flew past Lilycove. She flew over the raging waves below and turned sharply, Brendan and Wally barely holding on. She flew swiftly into the mouth of a cove, flying past the angry guards below them. They flew into the entrance of the Team Magma hideout.

"No one's in here," Wally examined.

"They're probably in the deeper part of the hideout," Brendan answered. "Or if I remember right, there right now trying to get the red orb somewhere on the outskirts of Lilycove." Altaria flew slowly yet steadily as the two boy trainers observed room after room after room after room. They soon were getting weary.

"Where's May?" Wally exclaimed, his voice echoing and reechoing throughout the hideout walls.

"Sssshhh Wally!" Brendan whispered, alarmed. "They can hear you, you know!"

"Oh yeah, the walls are such good listeners sometimes!" Wally retaliated critically.

"Hey! It's that twerp that beat our Charizards and the Team Magma drop-out!"

Brendan and Wally groaned in unison. "Dammit!"

- - -

Tabitha smirked as she fiddled with a Magma collar, tossing it on a nearby table. She snapped her fingers and Flare came to her side, her eyes piecing red, a blinking crimson collar rested upon her neck. "Don't you just love what we did to your Pokemon?" she taunted, smiling evilly.

"No!" May retorted angrily. "Turn her back right _now_!" she commanded. "I warn you!"

"Oh, and what is widdle May going to do?"

"I ... I don't know."

"Exactly ... Now tell me! What are Team Aqua's plans?"

"I'll never tell you!"

"Then are you willing to join Team Magma!"

"Never, not even in your dreams!"

"Fine, have it your way." Tabitha turned around and exited the room, beckoning the Grunts to follow. "You know what to do, Flare." She snapped her fingers once, twice, then three times before she exited. "If you won't join us," she paused, "then you are going to die at the hands of your own Pokemon!" The doors slammed shut behind her.

May tried to squirm out of the ropes, but failed.

Flare, her eyes blood shot red, shot a reddish-orange flame at the metal beam instead of the rope, a concept that Tabitha programmed into the collar chip so she could makes May suffer and struggle before her end. The fire melted down the metal in a matter of minutes, causing May to scream in fright as she came closer to a fiery death...

- - -

"Return Muddy!" Brendan returned his faithful water and ground type to his Pokeball, smirking widely. "Well that was easy considering that this time they used two Charizards, two Mightyenas, and two Torkoals." A muffled yet high-pitched scream caught Brendan's ears. "I know that scream. That's-"

"May's!" Wally answered for him, immediately hopping on his humming Altaria. "Let's go!"

- - -

May watched worriedly as the metal began to heat to a violent shade of red. "Hehe, Flare don't you recognize me?" May asked as Flare continued her Flamethrower attack. "It's me! May! The one who trained you when you were just an innocent little Torchic, the one who laughed and played with you. The one that loves you!" she cried out, a few tears coming out from her sapphire colored eyes.

Flare stopped blowing her fire and stared at May disbelieving. Her eyes almost returned to their regular color but the collar beeped angrily and flashed brightly. Flare began blowing flames at the metal beam again.

May closed her eyes and waited for the end to come.

Flare blew a last flame and the metal pole melted, sending May tumbling down into a fiery grave...

...If not Brendan caught her in his arms as Wally and him flew past.

"Bre ... Brendan?!" she exclaimed, her eyes widening. "How did you - why is - why isn't Altaria being returned?"

"Same question I asked when I landed on Altaria too!" Brendan smirked, untying May from the ropes. He threw it down into the pit of lava. "Did you have fun playing with fir-" A blast of blue-white flames interrupted Brendan's sentence. "Hey, why is Flare attacking us?" he asked, puzzled. He noticed the blinking red collar. "The collar controls her I'm guessing."

"I think so." She shrugged as Altaria dodged a Flamethrower attack.

"Um, can someone _please_ send out a Pokemon?" Wally yelled as he directed Altaria to dodge with all her might.

"Geez. Sorry, Wallace," Brendan replied, enlarging Muddy's Pokeball. "C'mon out Muddy! Control the fire-breathing chicken!" Brendan ordered, sending out his Pokemon.

Muddy appeared in a flash of bright white light. He stood up in front of the enraged Flare who was still trying to aim fire blasts at the three flying trainers. "Hey chicken butt!" he taunted. "Try picking on someone that can actually fight!"

Flare faced Muddy and frowned. She charged up fist with blue and white flames and punched a metal pole, melting it on impact.

"Oohkay," Muddy said slowly. "Someone has gotten stronger, no doubt." He laughed nervously. "So can't we just talk this through like grown-up Pokemon? Heh."

Flare blinked for a second before charging up all four claws with red-orange flames this time. "Less talk," she said in a monotonous voice. "More action." She tried to punch at Muddy's head, but he ducked just in time.

Muddy felt the heat go over his head. He sent out an icy cold jet of water at her. It was a direct hit, but Flare didn't seem to be effected by it at all, despite the type advantage.

"What the-" Muddy exclaimed. "That should have knocked her out for sure!"

"Oh no. Muddy's attack didn't seem to effect Flare!" May cried worriedly as Altaria decided to hover over the battle scene.

"That's strange," Brendan remarked. "Muddy's Hydro Pump defeated Flannery's Torkoal in one hit! Why couldn't it defeat Flare?"

"The collar," Wally observed. "It must have made her stronger. "

"Don't you still have Flare's Pokeball, May?" Brendan asked. "She was Pokenapped outside of it right?"

"That's right!" May exclaimed, enlarging Flare's Pokeball. "Flare return!" she commanded. The red light engulfed Flare and returned her but a few seconds later, she came out in front of Muddy once again. "Huh?"

"Unlike the other collars that allow a Pokemon to stay out of their Pokeball with the Magma sensor on," Wally explained, "the collar Flare has on probably won't allow her to be returned!"

"Muddy, try a Muddy Water attack!" Brendan yelled, frustrated with the results.

Muddy nodded. His eyes turned a light brown and instantly a wave of dirty brown water was thrown at Flare. Flare didn't even try to dodge it but took it full on. When the wave died down, Flare was still standing strong, water dripping off her body.

"Damn!" Brenda cursed loudly. "She's invincible!"

"Get rid of the collar!" Wally yelled. "It's the only way!"

Muddy nodded again, even though the idea came from Wally. "But how," Muddy thought out loud. "It's hard enough trying to stand your ground against Flare." He thought to himself, a rare moment in Muddy's past life.

_Hey B Boy, you got a dent in your mail thingy mah bobber,_ he remembered.

"What the hell does that have to do with anything?" Muddy asked himself. "Ah, I guess thinking of past lines you say doesn't actually work in real life ... or does it?" he questioned. "Worth a shot!" Muddy ran back a few feet and sprinted at Flare, tackling her into a wall, leaving a dent. While she was pinned down, he reached out and snapped the fabric in half, ripping the collar off Flare.

Flare blinked in surprised as Muddy unpinned her off the wall. "What the- Where am I?"

Muddy smirked proudly. "You're at the-" The collar re-clipped itself onto Muddy's wrist, taking him prisoner.

Flare saw what happened and tried to break the collar off of Muddy but was returned to her Pokeball soon afterward.

"The collar took a hold of Muddy!" Flare cried from within her Pokeball.

Muddy turned around to face Altaria and the three trainers, his eyes a menacing red.

"Wow, Magma must have worked hard on that collar," Wally murmured.

"No time to wonder about that! Time to battle!" Brendan cried but immediately slapped his head. "Too bad I can't use my other Pokemon since I left them with my dad to see if he could create an immunity with the sensor."

"Ditto," Wally replied. "All I have is Gardevoir who fainted already!"

"Then we'll just have to use Flare!" May answered. "But how?" She spotted Tabitha's collar on the table. "Fly Altaria to that table over there, Wally, and then I can get that extra collar!" she directed.

Wally clucked his tongue and Altaria flew off, diving down toward the table, evading Muddy's attacks every now and then. When they reacher their destination, May quickly grabbed the collar and Altaria flew skyward, making Muddy break the wooden table with a powerful jet of water.

May jumped off Altaria quickly and hid behind her to protect herself. She released Flare and before Flare could take form or be automatically returned, she clicked the collar onto Flare's wrist. Flare took form without being returned. "Yes, it worked!" May grinned, cheering. "Hurry and tried to get the collar off of Muddy's wrist!"

"You got it, May!" Flare exclaimed. "Oh, and I'm sorry that I was ordered to kill you, heh. It was the collar and all."

"It's all right." May gave her Pokemon a brief hug, "As long as your back to your old self... now go get 'em!" she hopped back onto Altaria as Flare ran off towards Muddy.

"Remember, Flare. If you break the collar with you touching it, it will just enchant you again!" May warned as Altaria flew over the battle again.

Flare turned back and nodded, charging up her flames. She blew a stream of flames at Muddy's wrist, but he simply took a step to the side to dodge it. She tried once again, but Muddy blocked it with his other paw.

"It's not working!" May shouted. "You need a close range attack!"

Flare ran swiftly toward Muddy, her right lower claw inflamed with flames. With a mighty Blaze Kick, her claws broke through the fabric on Muddy's wrist collar and fell to the floor, harmless. But to make sure, Flare stomped on it, shattering it into tiny pieces.

Muddy awoke, blinking several times. "Wha ... what happened?"

"Uh, you saved me from that collar, but it took a hold of you, so I saved you back!" Flare answered. "Good to have you back, buddy!"

"Whatever." Muddy rolled his eyes. "But same here if it makes you feel better."

"Don't worry. It doesn't."

"Can we go to sleep now?" Wally whined.

Brendan slapped his head and May smiled.

"Yeah, let's get out of here," she said as she smiled brightly, returning Flare. "Thanks for rescuing me you guys." She kissed both boys on the cheek. "I don't know anyone braver that you two."

Both boy blushed furiously and fainted.

* * *

LaTeR dAyZ!


	9. Just Like Her

* * *

**Just Like Her**

_The sky went from its stormy gray color to its light blue coloration. The boy sighed. There was no sign of his girl, and no sign of hope either. Pocketing his hands in his coat pockets and looking behind him, he left with a slight shrug of his shoulders. He slowly advanced on the city with its warm lights, turning his head back one final time toward the distance with his eyes fixed on the cave that both he and what was the girl took shelter in. Would he ever see her again? The wind gently touched his face and whispered the girl's name and from that moment on, he knew that she would come back to him once again. But for now ..._

May shook her head and smiled. _At least I figured out a way to knock Brendan and Wally out! Score!_ she thought. With the slight nudge of both boys' shoulders, she woke them up from unconsciousness. "Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey!" She smiled warmly, shaking them awake. "I've still have to find my other Pokemon remember?" she asked. "Helllloooo?"

"Five more minutes, mom. I'm dreaming of a white ... Christmas." Wally snored, his head lolling about on his shoulder.

"I didn't know when you were unconscious you could sleep talk," May thought out loud.

Brendan jolted up suddenly, surprising May. He rubbed his eyes and murmured. "If trees had mouths, could they talk?" he asked.

May eyed Brendan weirdly. "Maybe trees used to talk so much that they don't have mouths anymore; therefore they aren't meant to talk."

"Ah. That's good." Brendan fell back into slumber, cuddling up on Altaria's fluffy, white, cloud-like body.

May shook her head and politely asked if Altaria could lower them down to the ground. Altaria nodded and brought them down. Brendan and Wally tumbled off, still snoring.

May shook her head and decided that her kiss made them unconscious but tiredness finally took over them in the end. It was, after all, one thirty in the morning.

Altaria stopped singing and was returned to her Pokeball to get some well-deserved sleep herself most likely.

May shook her head once again and sighed as he watched the two boys sleep peacefully, one of them kicking the air as if he were an upturned Numel, the other scratching his behind, snorting.

- - -

Two hours later, May found herself in a very frustrating predicament.

"Where are all my other Pokemon?" May said to herself, pocketing her hands, hiding around a corner as a group of Team Magma members walked by. "They have to be here somewhere! I mean, how hard is it to keep four other Pokemon that aren't fire types?" May turned a corner and found herself cornered by five Team Magma Grunts.

"Well lookie what we have here, fellas!" a Grunt exclaimed. "The little twerp escaped!"

"Tabitha is not going to be happy about that," another Grunt murmured. "Then again, she never really is."

"Who gives a care!" a Team Magma Grunt bellowed. "As long as the girl is dead, Tabitha won't be mad, now will she?"

"You're right!" May interrupted their conversation. "She won't be mad if I'm 'dead' right?"

"What are you talking about, girl?"

"I don't have to 'die' exactly. If you let me live, I'll tell you Team Aqua's secret plans, and I'll join your team! Isn't that better than me being dead? You guys will be happy, sure, but you wouldn't know the Team Aqua plans, and you won't have a top notch trainer like myself be on your team. So, what do you say?"

"I don't trust her!" a grunt cried. "I can tell that she is lying! I say we destroy her!"

"Not so fast!" another Team Magma Grunt argued. "I say we give her a chance. Let her tell us these Team Aqua 'plans'. Even if she is lying and doesn't join the Magmas, there are more of us than there are of her!"

"But she's like one of the most powerful trainers in the entire Hoenn Region!"

"Quiet fool! Don't you think I know that already? She doesn't have any Pokemon with her, remember? All of them are being kept in basement two! Even if she has a Pokemon with her, one can't defeat all of us!"

"Except that all powerful chicken of hers. They can wipe out our Numels, Zubats, and Poochyenas in one attack!"

"Don't you think, you dolt? Tabitha has control of her Blaziken! For all we know, she could attack her pathetic little trainer right now if we asked."

May smirked. "Well that's all the info that I need! Good night!" She skidded under the Team Magma Grunts' knees and ran toward the warp panels.

"See? I told you she would defy us!"

"Attack!"

The Team Magma Grunts released their many Numels, Poochyenas, and Zubats. May stopped running and turned to face the Pokemon. With a quick snap of her fingers, she enlarged Flare's Pokeball, smiling. "You want to play? Let's play! I choose you, Flare!" May released her Blaze Pokemon in a flash of white light. "Get ready for the all and mighty chicken!" She smirked. "Flare! Flamethrower all the Pokemon!"

Flare took in a deep breath and shot out orange-red flames, scorching the Pokemon, making them faint.

"Well, that was easy," May muttered, rubbing the back of her neck.

The Grunts recalled their Pokemon and ran away.

"Sound the alarm, sound the alarm!" one of them screeched.

May froze and ran for it. A high-pitched warning signal rang through May's ears and blinding red lights caused her eyes to water. Flare ran to her side and picked her up, running toward the closest warp panel. "One of these things has to lead to basement two!" she cried out as Flare jumped into a warp panel. The warp panel led May and Flare into a room filled with high-tech computers and cold chrome walls.

"What is this place?" May murmured as she jumped off Flare. She examined the computes, beeping echoing through her ears. She pressed a button on the keyboard, causing the computer to talk in a monotonous voice.

"Please articulate your selection into the automated vocalization tracking device," it said.

"Um, yes?" May answered nervously.

"Please renounce you choice of using this information processing system in the automatized voice system," it repeated in simpler terms.

"I'm sorry?"

"Is this a Grunt or something?" the computer exclaimed. "Please say what you want to do, you idiot!"

"How rude," May murmured to herself. "Please tell me all the information you have on the collars and the sensor."

The computer beeped for a few minutes and began to talk again, "Information on the cervix/radiocarpal joint collars and the detector beam. The cervix/radiocarpal joint collars or the neck/wrist collar depends on the chip stored in the crimson-colored glass case. For most cases, the collar will keep a Pokemon on the outside of its Pokeball when the sensor is activated but some will not allow a Pokemon to return to its Pokeball either. Research shows that the chips allow a Pokemon to be hypnotized depending on the integrated circuit."

"So your saying pretty much that each chip has different data?" May asked the computer.

"Exactly, genius." If it wasn't a computer, May would have taken that as sarcasm.

"Right. Anything else?" May asked.

The computer beeped again and started to talk once more, "There is one flaw in the collars though. It has been tested and proven that when a certain Pokemon sings, like a Lapras or Altaria, it will override the circuit. Therefore, it allows the Pokemon to not be mesmerized by the sensor if singing."

"Wally was right," May said quietly. "The song does override the chip. Tell me, is there any other way for a Pokemon to not be hypnotized by the sensor?"

"No. No new research was found on that."

"Final question: Where is the sensor transmitting from?"

"It's quite perplexed for your minuscule encephalon to comprehend."

"I have the weirdest feeling that I should resent that. Just answer the damn question."

The mainframe CPU blared several times as if it were sighing. "Fine, but no asking questions in the middle! It is said that the sensor is being conveyed from atop a mountain. Mt. Cow Cow. Peak Coco Woko."

"Mt. Chimney?"

"I told you no asking questions but yes. That is where the sensor is being broadcasted from."

"Figures. Team Magma is in love with that place."

"I said 'it is said.' I'm not sure if it's really being transmitted from there! Anyway, even if you do find wherever this sensor is beaming from, you can't just take it down. The sensor is controlled by another mainframe computer like myself. It controls where the sensor transmits. It gives it its power. You can't just break in and turn the switch off."

"Well, that sucks I suppose, but do you think if I used another mainframe computer, like yourself, that I can hack into the other mainframe and shut down the detector?"

"I'm a Team Magma computer. I only work for Team Magma."

"Computers aren't meant to be used for one thing. I am sure that you have many programs not even touched or looked at am I right? Don't you want to try something else beside process data and crap like that?"

"... Fine! Let's do it!

- - -

"May, stop!" Brendan slept talked - or yelled really. "I'm not in your personal space! I'm just really close to your face- no! Not the Pokeball! Anything but that!" Brendan jolted up from his slumber. "Cool dream!" He smirked, rubbing his eyes.

**BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!**

Brendan quickly got out his PokeNav to see if he got any new messages but he got none.

"Then where's that beeping coming from?" he asked himself. Finally getting his eyesight back, he looked up and saw alarms flashing, signals making annoying beeping noises and Team Magma Member running about as if they were panicking.

"Life is like a baby. It sucks," Wally murmured, tossing and turning in his sleep.

Brendan looked over his shoulder and woke Wally up using his leg. "Wake up, Walter! We haven't got all morning!"

"Walter?" Wally mumbled as he too rubbed his eyes and sat up. "That's a new one Bast-"

"Terds! They are such TERDS!" Tabitha cried out, her eyes enraged with fury.

Brendan and Wally looked at each other and quickly hid under a metal table.

"How in the world can you let one little fifteen year old girl escape?" Tabitha bellowed, her voice resounding in the hideout.

The Team Magma Grunts trembled under the angry Admin.

"She somehow got her Blaziken to join sides with her!" a Team Magma Grunt shook nervously, telling the Admin the story.

"It's true, Admin! She said she was going to tell us Team Aqua's plans and that she would willing join Team Magma!" another Grunt cried.

Tabitha clenched her fists, the flame in her eyes growing per second. "And you actually believed her!" she said through clenched teeth.

"Y-yes?"

Tabitha turned around and walked away. "Kill her no matter what it takes! I want her head on a silver platter by the time I get back." She reached a warp panel and distorted to another place.

The Grunts blinked for a few seconds.

"You heard the Admin! Let's get her!" a Grunt shouted. The Grunts ran to different warp panels to find May.

Brendan and Wally jumped up, both hitting their heads on the steel table.

"Ow!" Brendan rubbed his head, his eyes closing in pain. "I hate tables and steel and blah."

"No time for you and your pointless complaining, Birch! We have to save May!" Wally exclaimed as he jumped up again. His head rammed into the table again. Wally fell onto his back, his hands covering the top of his head. "Mommy ..."

"Whoa buddy! Don't hurt yourself now! I don't think your little mind could take it!"

"Haha, very funny. Can we just get out of here and find May?"

Brendan nodded and ran toward the nearest warp panel. With the slight intake of breath, he jumped in and felt his stomach lurch upwards as he disappeared. A second later, Brendan resurfaced to another area, two other warp ports surrounding him. He jumped into one again and landed in another area of the hideout, two more warp panels surrounding him. Using his legs once again, he jumped into the panel in front of him and landed back in the same spot he started in at the beginning.

"Well, that's the most stupidest thing I've ever tried," Brendan murmured. "And there's a long list for that."

"Don't I know it," Wally smart mouthed only to be returned with a punch in the nose. "Owie!"

"C'mon! Suck it up you big baby!" Brendan hollered over his shoulder as he began to take the stairs instead of the warp panels.

Wally sniffled. "Meanie."

"Am not!"

Wally blinked back in surprise and ran down the stairs, his two hands clutching his nose.

- - -

"Please enter secret password entry," the computer beeped as May typed furiously on the keyboard.

"I don't know the password!" May cried.

"Then think and make one up!" the computer replied.

"Okay! Ooga booga!"

"Something that has to do with Team Magma, you dolt!"

"Sheesh. Calm down, you piece of metal crud."

"Who are you calling metal crud? I can just turn off and you'll be stuck and captured by Team Magma!"

"Okay, I'm sorry! Um ... is it Archie?"

"Incorrect access code. Ooh, and you were so close too. too bad this is a _Magma _hideout and not a Team Aqua one!"

"Geez, no need to go all hostile on me! Pyromaniac?"

"Incorrect access code."

"Down with the water?"

"Incorrect access code. Computer will self-destruct!"

"Oh no!"

"Haha, I'm kidding. Try again."

"You know for a computer, you can be very sarcastic."

"I'll take that as an compliment."

"Um ... Don't I get hints or something?"

"No."

"Fine. Molten rock in the Earth's crust!"

"Incorrect access code. But guess what? If you were in a vocabulary contest and 'Magma' was the vocab word, I dare say you have won one million dollars!"

The girl trainer rolled her eyes. "Haha, very funny."

The computer beeped a few times. "I'm here every Thursday!"

May sighed, giving up. "I don't know the password!"

"Incorrect access code."

"I didn't mean for that to be a-"

"Incorrect access code."

"Okay, it's not fun-"

"Incorrect access code."

"You can _stop _now!"

"Fine, ruin my fun!"

"Let's see. Oh, I don't know! For all we know that password could be ... The all and mighty chicken!"

"Correct access code. Entering Team Magma database."

"I think I should feel honored," Flare spoke up. "Or maybe utterly confused."

May laughed and started to type once again.

"ALERT! Someone is trying to break into the-"

"The computer?"

"No the-"

- - -

Brendan, panting, finally reached the end of the very long staircase, out of breath, sweat running on his forehead. Wally stumbled from behind him, almost crashing into him.

"What ... are ... you ... doing?" Wally said in between breaths. "You're in my way."

"Oh, you know Wallace. I'm just standing here, blocking your way, and just maybe getting caught by a Team Magma member or two, so we can have a tea party!" Brendan said sarcastically. "I'm waiting for you and your slow body to catch up with me, idiot!" He rolled his eyes and spotted the door in front of him. With a slight shrug of his shoulders, he jiggled the door knob but to no avail. The door was locked. "Damn, it's locked," he muttered, ramming his body into the door. "We can't just stand here or go back up the stair because we are bound to get caught!"

"So the only way to get out is to go in!" Wally smirked. "So let me handle this."

"Latios, kill me now!"

Wally glared at him for a minute and pushed him aside. He cracked his knuckles and tried to open the door himself. "Heh, it'll open. Don't worry," he said, putting both hands on the doorknob and trying to wriggle it open.

"Wow Wally. I did not know that you were strong enough to actually jiggle the doorknob!" Brendan put on a mock surprised face. "Nice!"

"Shut up!" Wally began kicking the door angrily. "Why. Won't. You. Open!" He began ro ram the door with his entire body just like Brendan did before him.

"Maybe if we try together, it will break down."

"Fine, but no touching!"

"I wouldn't think of it. I'd get your cooties."

"... Ready?"

"Yeah. On the count of one ..."

"Two ..."

"Three!" both boys cried together as they rammed their door with mighty blows from their body.

- - -

Two boys spilled out of the doorway, collapsing onto each other on the floor.

"...Door," the computer finished.

"Brendan? Wally?" May asked. "What are you two doing here?"

"Ha! She said my name first!" Brendan cheered.

"Dammit!" Wally cursed.

"Um, you guys?"

Brendan and Wally looked up at May and smiled innocently. They got up and brushed the dirt off themselves.

Brendan began to talk first. "Hey May! Long time, not much sleep! Anyway, I'm not sure how to say this but-"

Wally took control. "Team Magma wants you dead because you lied to them and Tabitha wants your head on a silver platter, which in my opinion sounds kinda gross, and yeah! Let me stress the fact that _they want you dead_!"

"Geez, way to sound real nice there, Walter." Brendan slapped his forehead in frustration. "So, we need to get out of here now!"

Wally checked his PokeNav. "Wow, it's late!"

"What?" Brendan got out his Pokedex and checked the time. "Its only ten in the morning, pal."

"No, it's five in the afternoon," Wally stated, checking his PokeNav again.

"It's ten!"

"No, its five," May said, her own PokeNav out and reaffirming Wally. "Your time must be wrong, Brendan."

"So when I thought I was one in the morning earlier, it was eight at night?"

"Something like that."

"Oops," Brendan muttered as he fixed the time on his PokeNav. "Could have told me, Wall Leak!"

"Sorry, Bread Head! I didn't know you couldn't tell time."

"Meh. So, we're missing the last day of the fair? This sucks."

May's eyes widened. "Oh no! We're missing the ball aren't we!"

Brendan nodded slowly. "It should be beginning right now."

May fell to the floor on her knees. "I got the perfect dress! I had an appointment to get my hair done and everything too!" she cried. "This sucks! I wanted to go to the ball!"

Brendan and Wally smiled sympathetically at her.

"It's okay May," Brendan said kindly. "I'll dance with you."

"Me too," Wally said.

May sighed and smiled weakly at them. "Well, at least I get two dances later, even if it's not at the ball, right?"

"Right!" the two boys said in unison.

"Specified mainframe computer found. Delete sensor beam action?" The CPU beeped to get May's attention.

May stood up and walked over to the computer. "Delete the file! Now!"

"Demanding little girl aren't you?"

"Born and raised! Mama didn't raise no chickens"

"Should I resent that?" Flare questioned.

"Nope!" May smiled, typing away.

"Hacking into Magma Mainframe computer at Mt. Chimney." the computer droned on.

"Okay, then let's get out of here then!" Wally exclaimed. "Maybe if we break down a wall, we can fly out of here that way we won't get caught!"

"Will that work?" May asked.

"Searching for Magma Mainframe computer's sensor file..." the CPU stated.

"Maybe. It's possible right?"

"I guess."

"Deleting file. Five percent ... ten percent ... fifteen percent ..."

"Hey you kids!" A group of Team Magma grunts busted through the doors and surrounded the three kids. "We've got you surrounded! So give up your Pokemon and surrender and we won't hurt you!"

"Never!" the three kids chorused together.

The Team Magma Grunts smirked and released their Pokemon. But instead of their regular Numels, Zubats, and Poochyenas were Golbats, Mightyenas, and Camerupts.

"Looks like these grunts have been training," May gulped.

"But they're no match for us!" Brendan said triumphantly, enlarging a Pokeball in his hand. "Go Muddy!"

"Flare!"

"Forty percent ..."

"Muddy, Muddy Shot attack!"

"Flare, Blaze Kick 'em!"

"Fifty percent..."

"What's taking so long?" May cried over the raging battle.

"Fifty-five percent. Deletion is taking longer than thought. Sixty percent ..."

"Muddy, dodge and use Body Slam!"

"Golbat! Wing Attack!"

"Seventy percent ..."

"That chip needs to hurry up!" Wally cried. "I don't want to make Altaria sing again. She gets more tired when she does!"

"Then get ready to fly out of here!" Brendan exclaimed. "We're leaving this joint as soon as soon as that file is deleted!"

"Flare, Fire Punch!"

"Eighty percent ..."

"Mightyena, Crunch them now!"

"No!"

"Ninety percent ..."

"I choose you..."

"Ninety-five percent ..."

"Altari..."

"Ninety-nine percent ..."

"Ah!" Wally threw Altaria's Pokeball in an open space and released her.

"One-hundred percent. File deletion complete. Congratulations, May Maple. You have just lost yourself a hypnotic virus!"

"What?" The Team Magma hollered at once in shock.

"Hurry! Get on!" Wally said, alarmed, reaching out to grab both Brendan and May's arms as Altaria flew by. "Let's get out of here!" he cried as Altaria flew out of the broken down door.

"Flare, return!" May recalled her Pokemon.

"You too, Muddy!" Brendan did the same with his Swampert.

"Get back here!" the Grunts bellowed.

"Yes! Let's go!" Brendan cheered.

"Not without my other Pokemon!" May screeched, scared. "We can't forget about them!"

"Altaria, look for basement number two!" Wally ordered.

Altaria flew as fast as her graceful body could go. The ear-shattering beeping of the Magma alarm pulsed through the trainers' ears, and the crimson light that flashed before their eyes every few seconds blinded them. Altaria turned a sharp corner and the three trainers almost fell off as they clung desperately to Altaria's cloud-like body.

"Basement two," May read on a concrete wall. "We're here you guys!"

Altaria lowered to the ground and May jumped off, running to her Pokemon.

"May!" Skittles mewed happily. "I'm so happy you came!"

"I'm happy to see you too, Skittles, but we need to get you guys out fast! Team Magma is after us!" May cried, alarmed. "Luckily, Team Magma was stupid enough to return your Pokeballs to me!" She got out Skittles' and Thunderbolt's Pokeballs and shot out the red beam to return them. The beam reflected off the bars and hit the wall opposite of the cage instead. "What the?" May said, trying again. The same thing happened.

"The bars must have the same chip in them like the collar Muddy and Flare wore once!" Wally examined. "But that's weird considering the file that controlled the sensor was deleted. Maybe there's secret mirrors in them or something."

"Who cares? Go Muddy, break down the cage using Water Gun!" Brendan released his Pokemon who instantly started shooting water at the steel cages with jets of water; however it didn't work.

"Flamethrower attack, Flare!" May set free her fire type. "Melt down those bars!" Flare shot out blue and white flames from her beak, engulfing the cage in flame. The flames were to no effect. The cage was left without a scratch!

Brendan thought of his past times with Muddy and smirked. "Remember that one fair day when May was 'kidnapped?' Do that again!"

Muddy smirked and told Flare to use Flamethrower on the cage again.

Flare nodded and blew out flames. She quickly stopped and Muddy used Water Gun to cool it down. Flare and Muddy repeated their process until the cage was an ebony black color.

"Now, all we need is a grass Pokemon to use Razor Leaf," Brendan stated. "But we have no grass Pokemon with us!"

Thunderbolt backed up as far as the cell would let him and he sprinted toward the place where Muddy and Flare used Water Gun and Flamethrower on. Luckily, Thunderbolt's head was hard enough to break the rusted down steel caged cell.

"All right, Thunderbolt!" Skittles cheered as she exited the cell. "Your hard-headiness came in handy for once!"

"Gee, thanks." Thunderbolt rolled his eyes.

Skittles kissed his cheek and Thunderbolt blushed a bright crimson color, matching Flare's feathers.

"Aw, ain't that sweet?" Muddy said sarcastically. "I think I'm going to hurl."

"Return!" May returned Skittles and Thunderbolt. "Glad to have you back you guys!" she whispered kindly.

"Two down, three to go!" Brendan cried, running to the cage across the room. "You know what to do Muddy!"

"You too, Flare! Flamethrower!"

Muddy and Flare repeated the process until the cage was charcoal black again. Tai and Cherry were held captive in this cage, and Tai quickly head-butted it, sending pieces of rusted cage flying. May smiled and returned her Pokemon again, whispering kind words to each one.

"Now where's Hydro?" May said to herself.

"May!" Brendan yelled. "Hurry up!"

"What's wrong?" May asked as she rushed to Brendan's side. She gasped in horror and shock. There lay Hydro, on the floor, not caged or celled. His tongue was panting out of his mouth and it looked like he was having trouble breathing. His body looked shriveled up and his normal, healthy blue looking scales were turning a ghostly white. "Hydro!" she cried, a few tears coming out her eyes. "He's not-"

"Dead?" Brendan finished for her. "Nah... Muddy! Water Gun Hydro now!" he commanded.

Muddy shot a jet of cool ice water at Hydro, covering his entire body. Hydro opened his eyes and gave them a grateful look.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you, Hydro," May apologized sadly. "Return!" She recalled her Pokemon. "How terrible! Leaving a water Pokemon out of water for so long!"

Wally backed up to Brendan and May, his eyes wide, his mouth opened.

"Dude, what's wrong with you?" Brendan asked.

Wally raised a shaky finger and pointed where the so called terror was. May and Brendan rose their eyes from their regular position and glared coldly at the sight before them. Twenty - no, maybe even forty Team Magma Members were in front of them, Mightyenas, Golbats, and other Fire types out and about.

The three trainer gulped as Altaria slowly flew to the trainers. They looked at each other with their eyes and crept slowly toward Altaria to not alarm the Magma crew.

"Attack!" they all cried at once as the three trainer hopped on Altaria.

"Return!" Brendan and May chorused, returning Muddy and Flare to their Pokeballs again.

Altaria flew over the heads of the Team Magma Grunts, dodging Poison Sting attacks, Flamethrowers and Sandstorms, the angry roars of Mightyenas howling though their ears.

"Fly like you never flew before, Altaria!" Wally ordered.

Brendan, May, and Wally sped out of basement two. Luckily the hideout's exit was just up ahead. With a quick peek behind her, Altaria saw that angry Charizards were flying behind her, blasting Flamethrower at her with tremendous power. May released Tai and Thunderbolt (who rode on Tai's back) and ordered for a Thunder attack. Thunderbolt crackled with pure electricity and blasted the Charizards with enormous electric power. The Charizards howled in pain. Thunderbolt, unfortunately, also hit one of the main machines that held the entire hideout together. The machine began to smoke and shake violently.

"Let's get out of here!" a Team Magma Grunt shouted, returning his Pokemon.

"It's going to blow!" May yelled over the sirens and electric crackling.

Altaria and Tai flew swiftly out of the hideout just before it blew up. It engulfed in flames and perished, never to be seen again.

The sweet smell of wind was brought to the three trainers' noses as the smelled the night air. The full moon looked like a sign of tranquility in their eyes that night. Altaria flew elegantly in the night time air as Tai flew ahead with Thunderbolt still on his back, vanishing into clouds than emerging from no where.

May sighed and looked behind her. The red-orange flames was a bright beacon in the dark ocean. It warmed her heart, knowing that it was over.

Or was it?

May shook the pessimistic thought out of her head and smiled, looking at the night stars and the twinkling lights of different cities.

"Hey May?"

"Yeah, Brendan?"

"It's only six."

"So?"

"So are you still up for that dance?"

May smiled and was about to answer when a jet of fire blasted between their heads. She screamed and turned her head. It was Maxie riding a Charizard.

"Guess what, kiddies? I'm back!" Maxie laughed insanely and ordered Charizard to use another Flamethrower.

"Dodge it Altaria and use Twister!" Wally took action immediately.

Altaria turned around for a few seconds and conjured a tornado out of thin air. Charizard was thrown back a bit but he shot out of it quickly and shot a Flamethrower again.

"Return Thunderbolt!" May recalled her Pokemon. "Tai, Wing Attack!" she commanded.

Tai flew behind Altaira and slapped Charizard across the face with one of his wings. Charizard roared angrily and tried to bite Tai with his fangs but luckily Tai evaded it with his speed.

"Tai! Aerial Ace!" May ordered.

Tai became a blur of red and blue feather as his beak and claws slashed across Charizard's face without it even knowing it. Charizard blinked twice and finally felt the unbearable pain a few seconds later.

"Enough of his child's play, Charizard! Fire Blast!" Maxie ordered angrily.

Charizard released one of the strongest fire attacks in the Pokemon World. The blast of fire took a star like shape and smacked Tai right across the face. Tai didn't cry out but he fainted all the same.

"Tai return!" May recalled her Pokemon. "Ugh," she cursed to herself. "There's more of that attack from where it came from!"

"Well, that's a mouthful," Brendan murmured.

May held Brendan's face and pointed it at the remaining flames coming straight toward them. "No time to be funny! Look!"

The strong jets of fire hit Altaria from the behind as she closed her eyes and began to lose her altitude.

"Altaria, no!" Wally cried, trying to wake up his Pokemon.

"It's no use! We're going down!" Brendan shouted. "Hang on tight everyone!"

"We're going to hit some building in Mauville!" Wally stated worriedly. "So knowing how strong their building are, I give you warning ... DUCK!"

All three trainers clung onto Altaria's cloud-like body, their eyes closed tightly, their bodies tense. May opened her eyes a peek and saw that they were going to hit the main building in Mauville. As she closed her eyes again she felt a body cover her, to keep her safe. She smiled and really hoped that the boy covering her was really-

- - -

"Brendan!" May screamed as the three trainers landed roughly where the fair's formal ball was being held. "Speak to me, Brendan!" she yelled in his ears as she put his head in her lap, tears forming in her eyes. "Brendan ..."

The people - all wearing tuxedos or formal dresses - were in shock as they held onto their wine glasses and dinner plates as to keep them safe. Their eyes were wide and their mouths were gaping, shocked by the surprise landing.

Wally, still dizzy, looked at them and glared coldly. "What are you guys staring at?!" he yelled, making the other trainers back up in surprise, "Someone get a doctor!"

Maxie landed on the top of the roof, his eyes casting down toward the three trainers. "You guys never stood a chance," he spat, smirking. "No one prevails over Team Magma. And for quitting Team Magma, Brendan Birch, you pay with your life!"

"He is not dead!" May screamed, looking up at Maxie with her tear-strung face. "He's still alive!"

"For now anyway."

It was true as May felt Brendan's pulse. The pulse was very weak and faint.

"Instead of letting him suffer like that, I'll finish him off!" Maxie smirked, an evil glint in his eye. "Say bye-bye to your boyfriend! Charizard, Flamethrower!"

"Use Psychic and shoot the attack back at 'em Gardevoir!" Wally got Gardevoir's Pokeball from Professor Birch.

Gardevoir appeared in a blaze of white light and automatically glowed purple. She sent the purple light towards the Flamethrower and sent it flying towards Charizard instead. The attack burnt Charizard as he howled in annoyance.

"I'll take care of Maxie," Wally said quietly but loudly enough for May to hear. "And you take care of Brendan."

May nodded, blinking back tears. She turned her full attention toward Brendan, her eyes stinging with freshly produced tears. "C'mon B Boy," she cried. "You have to live! You have a whole life ahead of you! Heck, we're not even done with the Hoenn League yet! So you have to live ... for everyone else! Your mom so she can remind you to change your underwear and I can laugh about it. Your dad so he can get more information on Pokemon. For aspiring trainers who want to be just like you. For older, more wiser trainers who want to battle you to learn a thing or two. For Wally so he can someone to argue with. And for me ... because I don't have anyone else who cares that deeply for me! So you have to live, Brendan Birch! You have so many more reasons than what I just said! You have to _live_!" Her voice rung throughout the building, silencing the crowds, even Maxie who was laughing evilly at the moment. "Please," she finished. "Please..."

Brendan wrinkled his nose for a minute and his eyes slowly opened. The first thing he saw was May. "You sure are pretty," Brendan said absentmindedly. His eyes widened and he sat up. "Did... did I just say that?"

May nodded slowly, tears still in her eyes. A weak smile came to her face as she hugged him. "Don't ever scare me like that again, Brendan Birch!" she scolded, tears pouring out of her eyes for the third time that night. "I thought you were ... I thought you were-"

"Dead?" Brendan chuckled as he hugged May back. "Trust me, May. It takes a lot more than me crashing through a building in a middle of a Pokemon battle with one of the most wanted fugitives in the world for me to be dead!"

"Brendan," May sighed happily, reluctantly letting go. "You scared me so much back there."

"You never need to be scared for me."

Wally interrupted the peaceful moment as he skidded back, falling onto his behind. "Ah, Brendan! You're awake!" he noticed. "Good job!"

"With what?" Brendan asked.

Wally paused. "Um ... I don't knw. It just sounded like the right moment to say it. Now excuse me. I have a Team Magma Leader to take-" Wally looked up and noticed the Maxie and Charizard were gone. "Where did they go? They just ... disappeared."

"Well it looks like we won't be arresting anyone tonight." Brendan sighed/ "But hey! At least we have our health!"

"What a corny speech to say when you lose!" Wally shook his head, disappointed. "I've heard better from a baby, Brandon!"

"Oh yeah! Let's see you try, Wallace!"

May shook her head. "Some things never change." She smiled all the same.

Someone began to clap slowly, and soon other followed. The room was filled with applause as Brendan, May, and Wally stood up, blinking in confusion. People cheered, people clapped, and people screamed. The entire world was clapping for three trainers.

"It's called applause, Wallace, since I know you've never heard of it."

"Shut up, Brendan."

The group of trainers in formal clothing surrounded the three that were in casual, dirty clothing.

"Brendan Birch! I told you not to get your clothes dirty!" Mrs. Birch came to the front of the crowd and playfully scolded Brendan.

"Mom," Brendan complained.

"I'm proud of you, honey."

"Brendan!" Professor Birch came running up in his tux and gave Brendan a noogie. "Good job! My assistant heard that you destroy the Team Magma hideout!"

Brendan nodded as he smiled nervously at a group of girls who were sighing and staring at him, batting their eyelashes.

"Come everyone!" Norman shouted. "These trainers need a break from their travels! Let them relax and have fun tonight for they deserve it." He raised his wine glass. "To Brendan, May, and Wally!"

The other trainers raised their glasses and clinked them with someone else.

Brendan and May tried to brush the dirt off their clothes to look more appropriate since they didn't have time to go home and change as Wally tried to clean up the debris that their crash landing created.

"Hey May? Can I talk to you alone for a minute?" Brendan asked as the other trainers began to talk amongst themselves again.

"Um ... sure," May answered as Brendan led her outside of the building.

Brendan closed the door behind May. He sighed and sat at the edge of a water fountain. May sat beside him and looked at him questioningly. Seeing as Brendan was having trouble getting out what he had on his mind, she looked up and stared at the full moon, her eyes sparkling. The splashing of water and the moonlight made May feel as if she were special place .. as if she were special herself.

"May?"

This caught May's attention as she looked down and into Brendan's eyes. "Yeah Brendan?"

"You're my best friend." he said simply. "And you always will be, right?"

"Yeah. Is that what you wanted to tell me?"

"Well, no." Brendan looked up at the sky and heaved a sigh. "Did you ever want it to be ... more?"

"More? What do you mean?"

"More ... as in more than best friends?"

May bit her lip. "I don't know-" she looked into Brendan's disappointed ruby-red eyes, "-how to explain it," she finished. "But maybe this will." Gathering up her courage, she licked her lips, closed her eyes and kissed Brendan's lips. Blushing and looking down at the ground, she said quietly. "Does that explain it?"

Brendan blinked in surprise. He touched his lips with two fingers. "It explains a lot." he said. "A lot ..." And with that, he reached out and grabbed May's face and kissed her deeply, putting his emotion in that one simple kiss.

May's eyes widened in shock but she kissed back passionately. A kiss under the moonlight ...

Brendan let go and smiled at May, who smiled back in return. He got on one knee and held May's hand. "May I?"

"You're so corny, Brendan Birch, but yes, you may." May laughed as Brendan stood up, still holding her hand. The two held each other closely and danced, the rhythm of their hearts as their music.

Brendan looked into May's sapphire eyes. They were twinkling with utmost joy. He couldn't believe he gave her this much joy in less than ten minutes. He smiled warmly, his arms tightly around May's waist as to never let her go.

- - -

"Are you sure you two have to go so soon?" Mrs. Birch asked. "It seems as if you just got here!"

"We're sorry, Mrs. Birch," May apologized. "But Brendan and I have spent too much time in one town. We still need two more badges to go before we can enter the Hoenn League!"

"But it's only been a week!" Mrs. Maple cried.

May giggled. "A week for others, but a lifetime in trainer days!"

"She's right!" Brendan smirked. "No trainer is suppose to stay in one town for a week!"

"Brad, look! Its Brendan Birch! He defeated Team Magma again!" A little girl tugged on another little boy's sleeve.

"Where Amy, where?!" Brad exclaimed, looking frantically for his 'hero.' "I need his autograph!"

Amy dragged Brad to Brendan where he kneeled down to their height and signed a piece of paper they asked him to autograph for them.

"Uh, May?" Wally said nervously. "Can I speak you alone?"

"Sure, Wally," May answered, smiling.

Wally led May to the entrance of his house. "Look, before you left I just wanted to let you know that I-" Wally looked over May's shoulder and saw Brendan smiling as he quickly retold his tale of defeating Team Magma to the two kids. "That I-"

"That you what?"

Wally looked at May, and then back to Brendan. He smiled. "Uh, never mind. I just wanted to tell you that no matter how hard things get, you still have me - your friend - behind you one-hundred and twenty percent!"

"Aw, thanks!" May smiled warmly, embracing Wally in a warm hug. "It's good to know I have someone to fall back on."

"Yeah." Wally sighed, thinking,_ You better take good care of her Brendan Birch, 'cause if you don't, big brother Wally is coming to kick you butt!_

Wally and May walked back over to Brendan and the two kids.

"Ooh, May and Wally! Can we get your autograph too?" the two kids cried in unison.

"Sure!" May and Wally said in unison as they too kneeled down and signed the paper.

"Thanks!" Brad and Amy said in unison as they trotted off back to their house in Verandturf Town.

"Well, this is it!" Brendan said as they got up.

"We're going now!" May added.

"Bye hun!" Mrs. Birch waved them off as Brendan and May walked away. "Don't forget to change your-"

"Don't worry, mom! I won't!"

"Call me sometimes, May!" Mrs. Maple added.

"If your hurt her," Wally muttered to Brendan, "you better watch out!"

May and Brendan reached Mauville City, all the tents down and trash and litter everywhere.

"Hurt who?" May asked.

Brendan smiled. "Nothing. It's a guy thing." He held out his hand.

May looked at it and smiled as she laced her fingers with his. "So are we a couple now?"

"I don't know, actually. Are we?"

May smiled a pearly white smile. "No, not just yet." She looked straight ahead. "We're just closer than before."

"Good, 'cause that's what I was thinking too."

And with new found hope in their hearts and spirits, Brendan and May continue their journey to become Pokemon Master.

But wait.

What happened to Maxie?

- - -

_The autumn sky illuminated her angelic-like face, giving her a glow that no one but her could muster. Her deep sapphire eyes twinkled in the sunlight, the wind gently playing with her shoulder length chestnut hair. The soft, gentle, rustling of leaves gave her the feeling of calmness, serenity. Her hand was entwined with his as she gave it a little squeeze. Their faces came closer and closer together ..._

But they stopped midway as the sun began to set beautifully over the hills ...

_The sun peaked over the rolling green hills of Veranturf town as the boy slipped his hand into her's, a comforting and relaxing smile on his face. She planted a very chaste kiss on his cheek, yet the boy felt like it was special, unique, just for him. The girl smiled warmly, her hair being teased by the northwestern zephyrs, giving her the scent of sweet grass to go with her smell of jasmine. A lingering smirk was held in the young girl's eye as she pushed the boy over and then ..._

Tickled him! But as the sun began to set ...

_The sun beat down on the boy and girl, beads of sweat forming onto his and her forehead. The hot wind blew against the boy's cheek as he looked at the love of his life gently graze the wooden floor of the porch with her thumb. She was staring into the nothingness, watching people come and people go. He frowned for a moment, reaching out for his water bottle to parch his throat, but there was no need, for as soon as the boy lifted the water to his lips, a small jet of water came rushing at him. He heard the girl giggle playfully, using her own water bottle to squirt the young boy trainer's head. He laughed at this and squirted the girl too, running away. The world became his and his girl's own place to play in. The girl jumped onto the boy's back as he spun her around, not noticing the dark, looming, gray clouds above them. All they knew was that they were dancing in the rain ..._

The rain dance soon had to end for they had to go in. It was night time now by the time they entered the house, soaked to the bone but warm smiles planted on his and her face. Hours later, the boy and the girl finally fell asleep. But in the middle of the night ...

_The boy stumbled around in the dark, groping for the switch to the lamp. He heard quiet sobs coming from the other half of the room. His heart was in the grasp of fear. He tripped over his two left feet but fortunately found the lamp. With a small click, the light flickered on, giving the boy minimal comfort. He turned around and saw his girl crying softly on the floor, tears running down her rosy cheeks. He looked worried as he crossed the room, having no clue why the girl was crying. Silently, he kneeled down to the girl's position, took one of her hands, and wiped a single tear away. The boy never knew why she cried in the middle of the night, but he was glad he was the one that made them stop ..._

The next morning, the girl was gone! The boy, alarmed, quickly threw on his daytime clothes and ran out the door. He ran to the forest as the girl was quite fond of the forest when dew was dropping off the leaves and the forest smelled so good ...

_His eyes darted back and forth, searching, hunting for the one he sought out. He raised an eyebrow, confused by the predicament he was in. It was like he was in a world filled with nothingness. A crackle of leaves and a small gust of wind from behind him caught his attention. He turned around swiftly, but no one was there. Frustrated, he kicked a nearby rock, his eyebrows scrunching up. Yet another sound was heard but this time something pounced on him, covering his eyes. He stumbled around a bit, trying to get the pair of hands off. The hands felt soft and smooth; he recognized those hands. He groaned inwardly as he got the familiar hands off of his face. The girl's eyes has a mischievous sparkle in them as they met his own orbs. He laughed out a bit and carried the girl back to town on his back. All of this just for a piggyback ride ..._

The boy raced into town, the girl giggling happily upon his back. A quiet shadow passed by, and the boy's vision began to obscure ...

_He held on to his head. That menacing, insane laughter throbbed throughout it. He fell on this knees. It felt like his eyes turned blood-shot red. That haunting, high-keyed voice, shattering his very soul; his body. He trembled and but his lip; he didn't know why he felt this way. A cool, soft hand touched his forehead ever so delicately. He looked up and peered into dark blue orbs of happiness, worry, hope, and fear. The girl smiled weakly, reaching out for his hand to comfort him and herself as well. He heard nothing else but the gentle exhales coming from his beloved. He felt nothing else but the warmth in his hand. He saw nothing else but her eyes, the windows of her soul..._

The girl stood up and offered the boy her hand who gladly took it. He led her to a pit of wild flowers ...

_In a field of white flowers, the boy and the girl lay on their backs, staring at the fluffy white clouds above them as they daydreamed about life, love and - suddenly, dark, looming clouds overshadowed them. A splatter of water hit the boy in the forehead as the boy and girl quickly got up and ran towards a shaded tree. The rain came down more furiously and the wind howled. The boy glanced at the girl with fearful eyes as she clung to him; he knew something was coming up that would change their lives forever..._

The girl murmured something and disappeared into the shadows without the boy even noticing. The boy stood there, gaping at the sudden downpour of rain ...

_The rain poured, the sky roared, and lightning bolts flashed. There was a storm brewing, and the boy and the girl were caught in the middle of it. The boy sighed deeply. A lightening bolt shot down a tree twenty yards away from them, causing the whole world below their feet to vibrate violently, sparking the tree into a bright inferno. The red-orange fire sent a pang of worry through the boy's stomach. He turned to face the girl, but there was no girl there. Like that flash of lightning, she was there a minute ago but disappeared faster than a blink of an eye. And like the fire, it sent the boy one of the worst feeling in the world: worry._

Seconds passed, and then minutes, but it seemed to be a lifetime for the boy without the girl by his side ...

_The sky went from its stormy gray color to its light blue coloration. The boy sighed. There was no sign of his girl, and no sign of hope either. Pocketing his hands in his coat pockets and looking behind him, he left with a slight shrug of his shoulders. He slowly advanced on the city with its warm lights, turning his head back one final time toward the distance with his eyes fixed on the cave that both he and what was the girl took shelter in. Would he ever see her again? The wind gently touched his face and whispered the girl's name and from that moment on, he knew that she would come back to him once again. But for now ..._

The boy heard his name. But not just anyone saying his name. It was the girl.

"Brendan Birch! I've been looking all over for you!" the girl scolded, jumping into his arms playfully. "I told you I went back to look for better shelter, but no! You just had to go and leave me."

"I'm sorry, May. I thought you left me."

"Silly Brendan! You know I wouldn't leave you through good times and bad. And besides the fact that I kind of need you there when I tell my parents that we're getting married!"

The boy smiled and carried her to the city, the light welcoming to him. Getting married. Sounds nice. Sounds perfect.

Just like her.


End file.
